What better way to show off that you have got it made than literally looking like a million dollars from head to toe - covered in branded apparels, designer accessories and super posh handbags.
In many ways, this doubly reflects on the wives of the rich and powerful, particularly those who lack their own personal or professional achievements and are just housewives at heart.
So, lets take a look at what rich Malaysian housewives (namely the Tai-tai Aunties, Datin/Datin Seris, Puan Seris and Toh Puans) prefer to drape themselves in to show off to the general public and everyone else how successful and rich their husbands are by spending, showing off and spending some more!
Hermes, Hermes and Hermes!
In many ways, this doubly reflects on the wives of the rich and powerful, particularly those who lack their own personal or professional achievements and are just housewives at heart.
So, lets take a look at what rich Malaysian housewives (namely the Tai-tai Aunties, Datin/Datin Seris, Puan Seris and Toh Puans) prefer to drape themselves in to show off to the general public and everyone else how successful and rich their husbands are by spending, showing off and spending some more!
Hermes, Hermes and Hermes!
When it comes to handbags for the high society ladies of Malaysia, one can never get away from the French brand Hermes. Fact is, if you play word profile games with these ladies and you mention handbags, I will bet you RM2.6 billion that their first reply will be Hermes.
According to the daughter of a Datin Seri (who requested anonymity for obvious reasons) the Hermes lines of Birkin, Kelly and Birkin Ostrich are the bags of choice.
"You have to understand the value of the bags. Each bag is hand-stitched to perfection. The very best seamstresses from the fashion industry are the ones sewing the bags and therefore, even though the design is generally the same they have a very limited amount that can be produced yearly.
"Even Louis Vuitton cannot match the Birkin and Kelly lines in terms of quality control. One wrong thread, and they throw it away. That's why the cheapest Birkin costs around USD 10,000. It's all about the exclusivity and quality control."
After Hermes, next on their list of favourites would be Chanel's line of Flaps, from the Classic Black Flaps, Double Flaps and Flap Caviar.
Apparently, to properly show off your status you don't just need any Chanel. You must have multiple Chanel handbags of the same design with one twist - it comes in different colours!
"Social climbers, those who are on their way up - will normally have one Chanel classic, which is normally a Black Flap. If you want to know the ladies whose husbands have made it, or they themselves have made it, they will have the same design but in multiple colours to suit whatever shoes or dresses that they are wearing at that point in time," explained a 37 year old banker's daughter.
Other brands that they go after include: Louis Vuitton, Rimowa, Tumi, and Goyard - all costing tens of thousands.
Sex and the City, and shoes
According to the daughter of a Datin Seri (who requested anonymity for obvious reasons) the Hermes lines of Birkin, Kelly and Birkin Ostrich are the bags of choice.
"You have to understand the value of the bags. Each bag is hand-stitched to perfection. The very best seamstresses from the fashion industry are the ones sewing the bags and therefore, even though the design is generally the same they have a very limited amount that can be produced yearly.
"Even Louis Vuitton cannot match the Birkin and Kelly lines in terms of quality control. One wrong thread, and they throw it away. That's why the cheapest Birkin costs around USD 10,000. It's all about the exclusivity and quality control."
After Hermes, next on their list of favourites would be Chanel's line of Flaps, from the Classic Black Flaps, Double Flaps and Flap Caviar.
Apparently, to properly show off your status you don't just need any Chanel. You must have multiple Chanel handbags of the same design with one twist - it comes in different colours!
"Social climbers, those who are on their way up - will normally have one Chanel classic, which is normally a Black Flap. If you want to know the ladies whose husbands have made it, or they themselves have made it, they will have the same design but in multiple colours to suit whatever shoes or dresses that they are wearing at that point in time," explained a 37 year old banker's daughter.
Other brands that they go after include: Louis Vuitton, Rimowa, Tumi, and Goyard - all costing tens of thousands.
Sex and the City, and shoes
Forget Prada, Gucci, or any other brands you can find in Malaysia despite the high price tags that come along with it. If a Tai-Tai really wants to rock it nowadays, the name of the game is Louboutin.
What makes this brand of shoes so special is quite simple.
You can literally see the lady wearing it a mile away, via its eye-catching blood-red shoe soles that have become Louboutin's international trademark.
Add to the fact that you can't find it in Malaysia, the Datins will not just be showing off their wealth to the plebeian masses, but also to their less well-traveled peers or less tech-savvy peers (hint: you can order it online).
And how much dent will it make to one's pockets? Well, the simplest designs range at around RM3,000 all the way to RM10,000 for a pair of shoes.
"I think Sex and the City made Louboutin popular. Back in the 90s, our local Jimmy Choo made the headlines because Princess Diana was wearing his shoes. In the early 2000, Sarah Jessica Parker's character wore it and it instantly became recognisable. That's sexy," said the auditor.
Other brands valued for its design and exclusivity include: Dior, Bally, Ferragamo and Prada - with each easily costing a person's average monthly salary.
Diamonds are a girl's best friend
Tiffany and Co is the preferred place that these Mak Datins go to meet their best friends.
Since many Mak Datins operate on a different currency level compared to the local RM, their version of a cheap silver charm bracelet or ear-rings is from Tiffany and Co, with the bare minimum costing at a whopping RM2,000 and a silver ring clocking it at RM1,700.
And if any gentleman out there who is dating above and beyond his social circle but would like to pop the "ultimate" question to his beloved, get ready to sell a kidney because that's the cheapest price for a good diamond ring from Tiffany and Co - RM20,000 and the top of the line would cost the groom-to-be around RM150,000.
However, as eye-popping as a diamond ring cost, the most absurdly priced item this writer heard today was hair clips. Ferragamo hair clips to be exact. Each costing around RM500.
Two Ferragamo hair clips is more than the basic minimum wage in Malaysia (RM900). And yes, it sells.
On top of this, nothing says privileged more than being well dressed in a chic outfit.
For the non-Malay VIP wives, their preferred brands are: BCBG Maxmara, Versace, Christian Dior, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, and Tory Burch with each costing a minimum of around RM3,000 to RM5,000 for a nice dress.
However, for the conservative Malay VIP wives, they too have their favourite brands but instead of designer threads they go straight to custom with their favourite tailors being Razwan Razwill, Rizalman, Jovian Mandagi and Seijun (Shangri La), with a similar price range as the more internationally renowned brands.
And being dressed up, one definitely has to have somewhere to go. To get there, the preferred brand of transportation is apparently a white BMW.
"Studies in the Middle East have shown that the very rich Arabs prefer the white BMW. It's because of the paint formula BMW uses. It gets very dirty, very fast, very easily. So, what does it say about you when you can have a pristine white BMW all the time?
"It simply says you have a legion of servants or drivers at home to ensure that your car is spotless," said the banker's daughter. - http://www.theheatmalaysia.com/
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