Sometimes you'd see a fancily dressed lady lugging a Prada or even Chanel shopping bag, as if she just completed a fruitful jaunt down Fifth, but then you'd realise you're in a totally different part of town. And if you looked closely, you'd see the corners of the black paper sack were wearing white, evidence of having been used, set down, carried, folded up, and used again for a long time. I'd spend the whole day wondering what single item this woman had once purchased from Chanel. (Temp jobs were like that back then; you had time to think.) Was it a single bottle of Le Vernis she’d only swipe on her nails for very special occasions? A leather agenda? Maybe she got a gift for someone else. Either way, that bag bearing the all-caps sans serif font made her incredibly proud. It might as well have been an actual accessory by the brand. This often made me think of those “My other car is a Porsche” bumper stickers.