Prada Is Selling a $185 Paper Clip, and the Internet Is Having a Field Day With It

ByElizabeth Licata

Barneys is selling a $185 Prada paperclip, and it’s the Internet’s favorite thing since Gwyneth Paltrow tried to sell “energy-balancing” stickers and got owned by NASA for it. That is to be expected. If you make a $185 paperclip, you have to be prepared to inspire a few jokes. When Balenciaga made a $2,145 version of Ikea’s blue plastic tote bag, it was the butt of more than a few jokes, including some from IKEA itself. Now it’s Prada’s turn.

https://twitter.com/FreddyAmazin/status/877980624291627008

The $185 paperclip is really a money clip that is shaped like a paper clip. But at this point, we’re entering a semantic gray area. At what point is a paper clip no longer a paper clip? Is a money that looks like a paper clip still a paper clip, or something else entirely? And since a regular paper clip can also be used as a money clip, that would imply that all paper clips are also money clips, and thus this is just a really fancy regular paper clip.

The Prada paper clip is approximately 2.5 inches long, and that’s the size of one of those Jumbo paper clips. If it’s the same size and shape as a paper clip, and looks exactly like a paper clip, it’s a paper clip.

OK, it doesn’t look exactly like a paper clip, because Prada never met a grain of rice it couldn’t put a logo on, and this tiny paper clip is no exception. It says PRADA on the side. The logo is written in extremely tiny letters on something the size of a paper clip, though, so most people will never get close enough to see the prized logo. Prada probably should have just engraved it with “If you can read this, you’re probably robbing me.”

A paper clip is a pretty cool idea for a money clip design, though personally I find it less easy to slide money into than a traditional money clip. Prada’s idea is not exactly original, though. If you were in the market for a paper clip money clip and did not care if it says “PRADA,” though, Barney’s is selling a non-Prada version of the silver paperclip for $150.

Here’s another sterling silver one for $80, and that one has the benefit of having the curved opening so it’s easier to slide money inside.

Or, you could buy 500 regular paper clips for $2.79. Sure, a regular paper clip might not last as long as a sterling silver one, but at this price you could replace your paperclip twice a day for a year and still never break $3.

https://twitter.com/Sharadkandoi/status/878258620994945024

Twitter did notice that it sure would be nice to buy a $185 paper clip and still have money left over to put inside it, though. You could even wear it as a necklace! Or if we were really rich–like, Beyonce rich–we could buy 100 Prada paper clips for $18,500 and our kids would have the best paper-clip chains in middle school. Personally, I think I’d rather have a big craft kit of science experiments like Kendall Jenner gave North West. Slime kits are way more fun than paper clips.

(Image: Barneys)

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