How rich Indians splurge on luxury products and bizarre whims

New Delhi, Jan 10: India's well-known beauty care products magnate Shahnaz Hussain has the habit of buying Louis Vuitton bags by the dozen, cuts them into pieces, and then stiches them to her gowns. Each LV bag costs more than Rs 50,000. Shahnaz Hussain recently told The Economic Times: "I always buy two identical LV bags. One is cut into pieces to design my clothes - I use them as patches on the sleeves and collars."Says Shahnaz: "In the last 30 years, I have bought several hundred Louis Vuitton bags. LV is a magnet and I feel drawn to it."The wife of a rich Delhi businessman spent Rs 60 lakh to import three Jane Birkin handbags from Tokyo within two weeks, to gift them to a bride, whose wedding she could not attend. Sonia Deshmukh, head-marketing of Quintessentially Lifestyle told The Economic Times: "Our client paid a premium of Rs 1 lakh for each Jane Birkin bag and the total bill for the three bags was over Rs 60 lakh to get them imported from Tokyo in two weeks."In India, there is a minimum waiting of one-and-a-half to two years for a Jane Birkin bag, made of handmade leather. Pakistan's fashionable Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar flaunted her Birkin bag when she came to India last year. The wife of the businessman not only gifted the three Birkin bags to the bride, but also sent Jimmy Choo shoes and bags to the groom's family.Diljeet Titus, a top Delhi lawyer, picks up luxury watches, suits, phones and vintage cars whenever he travels abroad. In the last few years, Titus bought 40 Vertu phones! Each Vertu phone in India costs between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 66 lakhs. A Noida-based real estate tycoon ordered 60 Rolex watches to go with the invitation card of his daughter's wedding early this year. Another rich businessman banged and dumped his brand new Mercedes after having his fill. A Delhi-based exporter celebrated his birthday on turning 40, by booking a trip to the North Pole with his three friends. The 'Extreme Driving Expedition' will take place in March this year, and they have shelled out Rs 60 lakh per person.