Just in time for holiday shopping - for an incredibly small selection of uber-wealthy customers - Louis Vuitton has unveiled its most expensive handbag of the moment: a $55,000 alligator skin purse.
正值假日購物旺季，為吸引少數的富有顧客，路易威登（Louis Vuitton）推出了該品牌迄今為止最貴的手提包：一款價值5.5萬美元（約35萬人民幣）的鱷魚皮手袋。

More expensive than a new Mercedes and costlier than a cruise around the world, the City Steamer features genuine alligator skin, cowhide lining, an engraved padlock, a nametag, and a hot-stamped LV Circle.
其價格超過了一輛新款的梅賽德斯·奔馳（Mercedes）汽車，也比乘游艇環游世界的花費更高。該款City Steamer的特色是：真鱷魚皮制作、牛皮內襯、雕刻掛鎖、配有名牌及燙印的LV標志。

The nude-colored number can be carried in hand, over the shoulder, or cross-body, and has 'ample room for papers and files' - and stacks and stacks of money, naturally.
這款裸色的包包可以手提、單肩背、斜挎，有“足夠的空間裝資料和文件”，自然也可以裝大把的鈔票。

Of course, the French design house is hardly the only one to offer exclusive accessories inaccessible to the masses - or even most of the upper class, for that matter.
當然，這家法國公司并不是唯一一家提供高檔配飾的公司，這些高檔配飾普通群眾無法觸及，就此而言，甚至上流社會的大部分人都無力購買。

Several other designers are also selling bags that cost five figures this season, though it's unknown how many of the swanky satchels and totes they actually manage to sell.
這一季，另外有幾家公司也推出了價格5位數的包包，雖然還不知道他們事實上成功出售了多少款奢華背包和手提包。

Hermes's Birkin bags have always been pricey, but their alligator and crocodile skin versions can cost upwards of $100,000.
愛馬仕的鉑金包通常售價高昂，但是它的鱷魚皮包售價更可高達10萬美元。

Perhaps inspired by the French brand's air of exclusivity, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen set jaws dropping in 2011 when they debuted their $39,000 crocodile backpack for The Row, which is still available for purchase.
也許是受法國品牌專賣氛圍的影響，瑪莉·凱特與艾希莉·歐森（Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen）在2011年以驚人的價格推出The Row品牌的首款鱷魚皮背包，售價為3.9萬美元，這款包包現在仍有在售。

The Italian-made splurge was the priciest item in an already extravagant line - and the twins managed to attach even heftier price tags after collaborating with artist Damien Hirst a year later.
意大利制造的奢侈品在奢侈品行業中，售價已屬最高。然而，在此之后一年，這對雙胞胎姐妹與藝術家達米恩·赫斯特（Damien Hirst）合作，包包的標價變得更高。

Hirst decorated a series of 12 one-of-a-kind gator backpacks, adorning them with gold and mutilcolor spots, as well as brightly-hued pills. They went for $55,000 each and are sold out.
赫斯特設計了一系列短吻鱷魚皮背包，共有12款，包上繪有金色和彩色的斑點，飾以亮色的小球。這一系列每個包包要價5.5萬美元，已成功售罄。

Fendi's not far behind The Row with its $34,000 3Jours Alligator Shopper, a flared gusset tote with top handles made in Italy.
與The Row相比，芬迪（Fendi）也不甘示弱，推出價值3.4萬美元的3Jours鱷魚皮系列，這是一款兩側向外呈三角形的包包，提手在意大利制造。

Only a few hundred dollars less than that is Saint Laurent's Sac De Jour Small Alligator Tote, a $33,500 structured piece that has three separate compartments inside. And with that kind of price, shoppers should be able to expect free shipping.
圣羅蘭（Saint Laurent）的Sac De Jour鱷魚皮小手提包，比3Jours僅僅便宜幾百美元，價格為3.35萬美元，包包內設三個隔層。售價如此高昂，消費者運費可免。

Those gator bags' crocodile cousins went into making Valentino's most luxurious bag of the moment. The brand's $30,045 Tricolor Crocodile Satchel Bag has a color-block design and suede lining to justify the credit card bill.
華倫天奴（Valentino）使用短吻鱷的近親鱷魚的皮制造出其目前最奢華的一款包包，叫做Tricolor鱷魚皮劍橋包，售價30045美元，采用色塊設計，軟羔皮內襯，確保物有所值。

It's also made of an exotic skin, which designers are increasingly using to up the luxe factor of their bags. According to Bloomburg, exotic skins now make up ten percent of revenue from luxury brands' handbag sales, and can sell for 30 times more than leather pieces.
這款包包也是采用稀有鱷魚皮制作而成。稀有皮革越來越受設計師們的喜愛，用以增添包包的奢華元素。據彭博社稱：稀有皮革包包的收益目前占奢侈品品牌手提包收入的10%，價格比普通皮革包包高出30倍。

That's because crocodiles are expensive and difficult to raise, and getting a perfect skin - one that hasn't been damaged during the animal's life - is even more challenging.
這是因為鱷魚皮價格昂貴，難以收集，而要得到一張完美的鱷魚皮，更是難上加難：這意味著鱷魚的一生中，皮都不能受損。

The use of these skins is also controversial. This summer, members of the animal rights group PETA went undercover at an 'alligator factory' that provides skins for Hermes, exposing that the creatures were kept in terrible conditions.
這些鱷魚皮的使用也引發了爭議。今年夏天，數名來自動物權益保護組織——善待動物組織（PETA）的成員，潛入一家為愛馬仕提供鱷魚皮的‘短吻鱷工廠’做臥底，將這些鱷魚所處的極糟糕的環境曝光。

The exposé outraged many who read about claims that animal handlers shot, cut, and stabbed the gators, as well as kept them in dark sheds without sunshine or clean water.
這讓了解到這一現象的人們憤怒不已，揭露者稱：工作人員槍殺、切割、戳刺鱷魚，將它們飼養在沒有陽光和清水的昏暗棚屋里。

Bottega Veneta's most upscale bag, a $29,600 Edoardo Soft Crocodile Fume Roma Bag, is of course made of crocodile leather as well.
寶緹嘉（Bottega Veneta）最高檔的包包，是一款名為Edoardo的煙熏軟鱷魚皮羅馬包，售價2.96萬美元，當然，該款包包同樣由鱷魚皮制作而成。

The brand describes the item as 'pure luxury', crafted from the exotic skin with woven handles and suede-lined compartments. Leather versions are available for just $3,450.
該品牌將其描述為‘純粹的奢華’，由國外稀有的鱷魚皮精心制作而成，編織的手柄，軟羔皮內襯隔層。皮革款僅售3450美元。

Ralph Lauren makes an alligator bag, too, selling a $29,500 drawstring crossbody that's lined with calfskin and features a wooden lock.
國際著名服裝品牌拉夫·勞倫（Ralph Lauren）也推出了一款鱷魚皮包包，售價2.95萬美元，這是一款抽繩斜跨包，小牛皮內襯，配有特色木鎖。

Italian brand Gucci also demonstrates the sexy allure of a scaly texture with its Jackie Bucket Bag. For $22,000, wealthy shoppers can snap up a brown, hand-stained crocodile version - but $2,850 will get the same style in leather, $2,300 will snag it in suede.
另外，意大利品牌古馳（Gucci）也推出了一款性感魅惑、鱗狀結構，名為Jackie的水桶包。這款包包售價2.2萬美元，富有的消費者可以搶購這款棕色、手工染色的鱷魚皮包，但你只要花2850美元就可以買到牛皮制造的同款包包，花2300美元便可得到軟羔皮制作的同款包包。

Vocabulary

uber-wealthy: 超級富有的人
alligator: 短吻鱷
padlock: 掛鎖
swanky: 奢華的
tote: 托特包，大手提袋
suede: 小山羊皮
snag: 抓住（機會等）

英文來源：每日郵報
譯者：張根鴻
審校&編輯：丹妮