Authentic Louis Vuitton handbags are a good investment for any woman

If shoes maketh the man, bags maketh the modern woman, according to one fashion expert. Tahira Yaqoob investigates why authentic Louis Vuitton handbags are no longer the preserve of the very rich, and how a good choice can be an investment as well as an accessory.

Step into Louis Vuitton outlet store immediately fades away into a hushed awe at the treasures inside.

Louis Vuitton handbags, Louis Vuitton wallets, Louis Vuitton luggages... each is displayed like the headline act on a stage with its own special platform and spotlight. It's a wonder they don't step up to take a bow.

Customers tiptoe around, fingering the leather longingly, no one daring to ask the price. Because let's face it, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

What is it about Louis Vuitton handbags that makes us willing to spend a month's salary at the drop of a hat, just to get the latest arm candy?

Customers are willing to invest large sums in a handbag or pair of shoes, Pedraza says on his blog, because they see the value of something that lasts.

Louis Vuitton bags is no longer a fashion accessory but an investment and a collectable.

"It is like the lust in a relationship," sighs Reema Al Khomeiri, the Dubai-based founder of ToujoursChic.ae, which rents and sells cheap authentic Louis Vuitton handbags. "Mostly it fizzles out after a while and you move on to the next one."

Her love affair with Louis Vuitton bags started when she was 15 and blew an entire year's allowance on a Louis Vuitton. Since then, she has run up debts amounting to the cost of a small luxury apartment with her collection of up to 80 bags at a time.

ToujoursChic put a stop to her habit and allowed her to recycle her own and customers' unwanted bags, delivered to homes and offices in discreet plain paper packaging so no one need know they are not new. Authentic Louis Vuitton outlet now has 2,000 subscribers in the UAE and 5,000 followers on Facebook.

"Authentic Louis Vuitton bag is an extension of a woman's personality," Al Khomeiri says. "You carry your entire life in your bag - your secrets, your necessities and your comfort. You are carrying your self."

She says brands are responsible for "the democratisation of luxury".