It looked like the kind of knockoffs sold by bored vendors at street markets.
"That was your Grandmother's, you know?"
"It's ugly."
"Yes."
"It's not real."
"It's real. She bought it at Neiman-Marcus."
Apparently, Grandma, who wore high heels through her last days –and worked, as a relief hotel clerk– eventually found her purses too heavy. She wanted something light that she could wear cross-ways on her body for security. And where did frugal grandma go for such a thing? Neiman-Marcus. Because you don't buy junk.
"She must have got it on sale."
"As I recall she paid about $300."
Grandma would have bought this in the early 1990s, and used it daily for at least 5 years. She would have packed it full and she was never gentle with zippers. It then spent more than a decade in storage. It's now 2020. It shows no signs of wear, use, or age. There is not a single frayed stitch. No drying to the leather. The zippers work perfectly.The straps are as secure as ever.
That's frugality.
I'll wear that ugly little Prada proudly.