By LAURA CRAIK FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Published: 19:36 EDT, 31 March 2025 | Updated: 19:42 EDT, 31 March 2025
Lauren Sanchez is likely to be a 'glass half full' kind of woman, it's fair to say.
Poised to marry one of the world's richest men – multi-billionaire Amazon owner Jeff Bezos – in a lavish ceremony in Venice this June, the 55-year-old broadcaster needs only to glance down at her £1.9million ($2.5million) engagement ring to feel more blessed than stressed.
But while her glass might be half full, the same cannot be said for her coffee cup. It's completely empty – namely, because it's not a coffee cup at all. With a price tag of £4,350, you'd have to be mad to pour a liquid as dark brown and ruinous as coffee into Balenciaga's '9am coffee cup' clutch bag.
The four-figure joke – sorry, tote – is the latest wheeze from a brand known for 'elevating the everyday' – ie turning commonplace items into designer must-haves by slapping a logo on them and charging a small fortune for the privilege.
Last year, the divisive Parisian brand, headed up by creative director Demna Gvasalia, created a bag designed to look like a packet of flaming hot crisps in spicy chilli, a snip at £1,450.
But Balenciaga is far from the only luxury brand currently being inspired by everyday comestibles.
Poised to marry one of the world's richest men, Lauren Sanchez was pictured with her £4,350 Balenciaga '9am coffee cup' this week
Last year, Balenciaga created a bag designed to look like a packet of flaming hot crisps in spicy chilli, a snip at £1,450
And then there's Moschino's leather box bag, £1,541, inspired by a carton of orange juice and currently being worn around town by the supermodel Gigi Hadid
Hot off the catwalk for spring comes Cult Gaia's Caldera bag, a £503 clutch that seems to have been modelled on a red pepper. Welsh designer JW Anderson, meanwhile, has created a £650 clutch that looks like a slice of Victoria sponge.
And then there's Moschino's leather box bag, £1,541, inspired by a carton of orange juice and currently being worn around town by the supermodel Gigi Hadid. If that's not literal enough, Moschino has also created a lurid green celery bag, £3,730; a watermelon one, £671; and a £758 baguette bag that looks a dead-ringer for a French stick.
Trompe l'oeil handbags are nothing new. The Hungarian-American designer Judith Leiber has been revered for her crystal 'minaudiere' evening bags ever since the 1960s, many of which are fashioned to look like cupcakes, burgers or pizza.
The Hungarian-American designer Judith Leiber has been revered for her crystal 'minaudiere' evening bags ever since the 1960s, many of which are fashioned to look like cupcakes, burgers or pizza
Leiber's crystal embellished French Fries clutch is currently available to buy on the Harrods website for £5,760
A YSL bag designed to look like a lunch box is available for £1350
This Anya Hindmarch pineapple designer bag can be purchased for £550
Also designed by luxury brand Anya Hindmarch, the pictured bag inspired by tomato ketchup is available for £1295
This bag designed to look like a bottle of rum was put on sale by Judith Leiber and is available for a modest £960
High-profile fans of hers include Madonna, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian and former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton. Leiber's crystal embellished French Fries clutch is currently available to buy on the Harrods website for £5,760.
As for why the trend has resurfaced this season, perhaps it's a searing social commentary on Hollywood's fixation with Ozempic.
If you can't eat the burgers, fries and crisps you crave, maybe the next best thing is carrying them – with the added bonus that by the time you've purchased them, you'll have precious little money left to eat at all.
Whatever the reason, in the weight-loss drug era it's clear you only put your carbs where you can stomach them – on your arm.