10/15/08 07:52 - ID#46132

Vanity Fair

Overheard conversation on the bus:

Girl with a paper shopping bag that had "Coach" Leatherware written on it: *Holds up a small handbag for the inspection of the bus driver* I love Gucci. You know, Gucci as they made it in the 60s. You can tell the difference between the real thing and the fake. You touch it and you can tell the difference.

Bloke with apparently "designer" shoes and huge eyes: Yeah, folks here won't know it. Does an eyeroll with those especially huge eyes. You know, this girl at school flat out denied, I MEAN DENIED *taps the bus seat for effect* that outlets like Coach and Nordstrom even existed. These people...

Coach Girl: I am proud to say I wasn't born in this poor ass city. I was born in Chicago, that's where I was born.

Huge Eyes: *Rolls huge eyes* I went to Colombus *pulls out a mall map and waves it around* *Bus driver turns around 180 degrees in her seat while navigating an intersection, I almost pass out in fright* Now here's a Nordstrom, here's Gucci. Now that's when you know the economy of a city is doing well. When you have stores like Nordstrom. Here, there is no hope. I mean people don't know Coach and Nordstrom exist. You see here *waves around mall map once more* there are all these stores.

Here Coach Girl and Huge Eyes go off into a long long long prattle about the merits of designer stuff and the general ignorance of buffalo, making sure that the whole bus gets to know that they are really not from here.* *I zone out and my eyes glaze over.*

Ping: Now approaching Bird Street* *I shake out of my vanity-drivel induced reverie.*

Coach Girl: This here is an original Coach bag, I go there all the time. You know imitation, it just isn't the same.

Huge Eyes: Yeah, I am from New York City. I know. We can tell you where you get the real nice stuff. *Coach girl gives emphatic nod, clutches the "genuine Gucci" bag closer*.