Pondering the Craziness of the Very, Very Rich

"W" magazine sent along a copy of their gift guide with this month's issue.  In an excess of the cutes, each page has a different theme.  "Show Me The Money" deals with emeralds, glittery clothing - a pair of gold lame hot pants for $795 for not enough material to cover your front and back at the same time, black diamond mascara.  "Tech Support" is black, white and silver items including a chair for $1,659. "All that Glitters" advertises a Chanel dress for $42,300. (not a typo - $42,300.)

They thoughtfully  have provided items for the kids on your list with "Wild Child" a page that includes a pair of baby-sized Diesel jeans for $89; a True Religion t-shirt for your three year old for $44 and Gucci velcro-fastened shoes for the one year old who is learning to walk and tie his shoes - $295. 

To encourage a future career as a rock star, "W" thoughtfullyincluded a junior drum set for $220 and shortbread cookies that look like miniature guitars for $58 a dozen!  For cookies!  I can just hear a woman on the phone, "Oh, three boxes - Micah doesn't have anything to take to the nursery school Let's All Celebrate! party." 

In my world, it goes like this:  a summer baby wears a diaper and a t-shirt; a winter baby wears Target sweats.  It is pointless to try to spiff up a baby.  They don't have the bodies for designer clothes.  You may be quite svelte again after giving birth, but let's face it - the minute babies are born, they begin eating and there goes a light birth weight and a slender figure.  Better to buy something nice for yourself.  Almost every baby I'e ever seen has fat little arms and legs and more than something of a belly.  No Gucci shoes or Diesel jeans are going to change that.

Such is the craze for dressing your kids up that there is a Web site with photos of celebrities and their children.  The captions are (supposedly) written by young Suri Cruise, off-spring of Tom and Katie Holmes.  It's called "Suri's Burn Book" and the tagline is "Just because you don't have a Ferrigamo handbag doesn't mean you can behave like a child. (I'm looking at you, Shiloh")  Shiloh Jollie-Pitt dresses in a very boyish way in case you're not all that much into fashion or kids.   Frankly, neither am I.  And certainly not at those prices!