legal tender

I'm so glad I've got my miniscule male audience for whom to write this delicious, yet slightly troubling post. UK-based "Money" clothing, which designs casual wear *yawn* ― denim, t-shirts, jerseys/hoodies (I hate the word 'hoody') ― proposes a more serendipitous, if not stupid (forgive my brazenness) form of clothing. Cue: Its premium denim line, Money 750 which runs about $1,100 a pair, and has a $100 bill welded into its right back pocket; and its line of $750-a-pair sneakers with legal-tender $100 bills eenclosed in their transparent soles. Both monies can, of course, be removed from each clothing item with a bit of effort.

Pause.

No, it certainly doesn't make much sense. According to an article on style.com, one of the line's designers, Melvyn De Villiers, "It's not all about saying how much money we have. It's just another "fabric" we used for the collection." Fabric?? What??!! I'm dumbfounded to be honest. I don't really know how to argue "for" ― my attempt at being a reasonable individual here ― or "against" the concept. I do know, however, that any man sporting a pair of these 750 denim is just begging to have his bottom caressed not just by me, but all manners of crazies. And Lord grant me that said gentleman has a nice, firm butt underneath those pants. He's getting his butt smacked just for the potential thwack sound. Yum!!

Apparently, this money-in-the-back-pocket concept was sampled back in 2003 when the brand was launched, with $1 and $100 bill notes. Interestingly, the Money brand was actually responsible for the famed £20,000 hand-crafted Vicious belt made with three rows of 18ct gold studs, which dear rapper TI wore during his performance at the MTV Awards in 2006. The belt had been signed by the Sex Pistols. Collector's item or what??!! As part of its allure, Money incorporates 18 ct gold from London's Hatton Garden for the rivets and buttons of its 750 denim.

Say what you will, but this design philosophy simply nurtures the idea of stealing. Ha!! I mean what do you expect??!! De Villiers revealed, "In a store in Dubai, someone steamed off the notes and replaced them with photocopies, [and] in Harvey Nichols, kids were ripping the notes off, so we had to lock the jeans up in boxes." Oh really??!! True buyers, however, may profit from waiting until they're bored with their pants or truly strapped for cash before they rip out their money. Beneath the note, the word 'fallito' ― Italian for bankrupt ― is printed on the pocket. Sad. Definitely not admissible. The line will be available in the U.S. in the spring.







Tender kisses.