‘A sartorial middle finger’: The $8500 clutch shaped like a coffee cup

SPOTLIGHT | Common threads

Nothing says “Look, everyone, I’m a regular person like you” than a cashed-up A-lister rushing off to a morning meeting toting a coffee in a keep cup. Unless, of course, said cup is a Balenciaga 9AM clutch, which looks exactly like a keep cup – only it’s in calfskin and costs $8500.

The 9AM is part of a new trend by some of fashion’s biggest names to create handbags that riff on utilitarian objects, such as Louis Vuitton’s LV Paint Can bag ($11,000) and Moschino’s celery-shaped clutch ($6700 – and now sold out on Farfetch.)

“There’s no way these price tags can be justified,” says fashion writer and commentator Glynis Traill-Nash. “But, of course, there are those who want to prove to everyone that they can afford such pointless luxury.” Such as journalist Lauren Sánchez, better known as Jeff Bezos’ main squeeze, who set tongues wagging when she was photographed with the 9AM in March. “Bad taste?” asked The Guardian. “Ridiculous!” declared the Daily Mail.

Is the trend bordering on vulgar? For Traill-Nash, it depends on who’s doing the carrying. “Sánchez is a woman of her own means, but she’s also the partner of Bezos, who has aligned himself with Donald Trump. By association, it feels like a sartorial middle finger to the masses.”

UK designer Anya Hindmarch, who hopped on the bandwagon with a $2480 Frosties cereal mini tote, may have seen the light: her Universal recycled shopping tote (just $20) was released by Woolies in March. “Now that’s something you can carry with pride,” says Traill-Nash. Deborah Cooke

READ | Let the games begin

Sunrise on the Reaping ($30), the second prequel to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy, explores the backstory of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, and shows how he ended up the drunken, embittered character we came to know in the original series. The books are set, like this one, in a dystopia in which the ruling elite of the Capitol force poor young residents of the surrounding districts to compete in an annual, kill-or-be-killed televised competition. I already liked Haymitch, but Sunrise furthers that connection, eliciting sympathy and an understanding. Collins’ books are so popular because of her rich characters and world-building, but also because many of the themes – government power, wealth disparity, media manipulation – are real issues. This is another worthy addition to the saga. Ada Connolly

LISTEN | Pregnant pause

Amy is a Canadian doula, a non-medical person who provides emotional and physical support during a birth. One day, she receives a call to remotely assist a woman named Kaitlyn, who’s totally alone in another state, is pregnant as the result of rape, and is about to deliver a stillborn baby. What follows is days on the phone, with Amy barely eating or sleeping, emotionally spent from shepherding Kaitlyn through crisis after crisis. It turns out that Kaitlyn was lying about everything – and Amy isn’t the only birth worker she has deceived. The podcast The Con: Kaitlyn’s Baby is confronting and baffling. Since Kaitlyn’s motive wasn’t money, points out host Sarah Treleaven, what could have prompted her to attempt such a callous deception? Barry Divola

SHOP | Smoke, no fire

Big flavour, small footprint: meet the Weber Lumin, the electric barbecue that’s changing the way Aussies grill $649). Sleek, compact, and channelling serious, retro-suitcase vibes when closed, the Lumin smokes, sears, steams, defrosts and warms with just a flick of a switch, hitting sizzling temps of more than 315C in just 15 minutes. Perfect for small balconies, eco-conscious cooks and lovers of gourmet outdoor cooking, it even delivers that iconic, smoky Weber taste, thanks to a clever, smoke-infusing tray. Available as a stand-alone, or upgrade with a custom stand ($249). Frances Mocnik

WEAR | Love them, love them not

Few shoes are as divisive as rubber clogs. For the past decade, the staple footwear of hospital staff and chefs has risen through the workwear ranks to fashion’s front row, appearing on runways for luxury labels Balenciaga and Simone Rocha. Now, Crocs is tackling the middle market by collaborating with Finnish label Marimekko on floral-print footwear that even your nana might like ($135). Wear as camouflage while stopping to smell the roses. Damien Woolnough

SEE | Book mark

It’s that time again, when Sydney readers come together to see and hear their favourite scribes holding forth, in person, on all things bookish. As usual, Sydney Writers’ Festival (May 19-27) has a star-studded calendar. Have a browse to get your favourite dates in the diary now. (Liane Moriarty and David Nicholls discussing the art of the book-to-TV deal with Claire Nichols, perhaps? Or Marion Keyes lifting the veil on her favourite mistake in the company of Holly Wainwright? Maybe you’re in the mood for some fortune-telling, as Barrie Cassidy asks three political experts what the next four years are likely to bring in “Trumpocalypse Now”.) Good Weekend will be there, too, of course: don’t miss a live edition of everyone’s favourite Saturday-morning ritual, The Quiz, with Benjamin Law and Brian Yatman (May 24). And later, during an on-stage Dicey Topics, Law will be chatting to Torrey Peters (author of Detransition, Baby and Stag Dance). Both events are free.

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