This Prada Velvet Trompe L’oeil Cahier bag is painted to look like it’s wearing a leather strap and buckle that don’t actually exist. Prada launched the Cahier in 2016 as an antique notebook come to life, flap and front tab closing it like a school satchel rather than a handbag. The illusion holds up from a few feet away and falls apart completely up close, and that gap between the two is the whole joke. Blue and green velvet run the body, with the painted hardware picked out in yellow and gold to fake the depth of real metal. We think Prada betting on people getting the joke here paid off. A Prada Velvet Trompe L’oeil piece like this one rewards a second look more than it rewards the first.
