Kishore Singh: Bags that Gucci!

Sogo was having its annual "thankfulness" sale with prices that had been slashed by as much as 50 per cent, which is what must have drawn my son to brave the queues of excited shoppers past the packed Elizabeth Arden and Shiseido aisles, up the escalator to the third level with its women's accessories. Here, in a rare sentimental gesture, he decided to splurge on a Gucci clutch for his sister, which, even on discount, would cut a heft in his travel budget. Recognising, just in time, the likelihood of his sister's temperamental dislikes, he decided to WhatsApp a picture of the clutch for her approval, which was promptly denied. "A clutch!" I could imagine her screeching. "Do I look like an auntyji?"
 

But seeing how he was in the neighbourhood, and in the mood to spring for a gift, could he send her pictures of other handbags? This was a task for the foolhardy with eager shoppers snatching at the merchandise. Figuring that he was now committed, he decided to head for a Gucci store where he would not have to account for a swarm of annoying shoppers. He hadn't counted on his sister who, meanwhile, had gone online to suggest that she might not want a Gucci, so maybe he could check out Fendi for her.

By the time he'd checked through Fendi and Burberry, Balenciaga and LV, snapping up pictures, some with permission, others surreptitiously, he was drained. If she liked a size, the colour was inappropriate; if one had a tan trim, she desired a darker one; the buckle was either too kitschy or not showy enough; did the bag have a zip or a button? "Dad, you have to help me," he roped me in on my off hours, so instead of discovering Hong Kong's famed watering holes, we ended up comparing information with women shoppers about materials, strap lengths and finishes. With each store visit, our knowledge of bags grew in inverse proportion to the numbers discarded. "I don't want another Michael Kors or Longchamp," my daughter mused, long distance, "I like the Hermes, but perhaps it's too expensive…" She let this settle into our consciousness, the thought that we were being generous but not generous enough.

By the end, we'd sent over 200 pictures from 20 stores, all of which she had hastily forwarded to friends, opening them up for critical appraisal, picking her way through the "ooohs" and "nahs" to fail to arrive at a decision. Finally, it was time for her brother to leave - I was staying longer - and so the yoke of discovery fell to me. She settled on a Tory Burch but a fresh piece wasn't available; she scaled down to a Marc Jacobs but they had a darker colour, not the lighter one she preferred; and the Coach went out of stock before she could make up her mind.

With hours to go before I left Hong Kong, she ordered me back to the Gucci store for a final recce. I emailed her more pictures, she thought she might like one, after all, but it was "a little expensive". It cost enough to buy a small car so "we'll go halves" she bargained, even though that too required me to use two debit and one credit card to pay. We're yet to settle up, but having got her bag she isn't sure she adores it any more, but "it's okay" she consoled me, "every girl needs one Gucci in her inventory".