Originally posted by Fashion Wire Daily Paris July 15@ 2003
Spank Us With Gucci!
By Karl Treacy
We've had the yoga mat, the Frisbee, the hand weights, and the surfboard. But those sterling silver handcuffs should have prepared us for designer Tom Ford's newest hot accessory idea -- the Gucci spanker.
If, like the terminally innocent team at FWD, you're not terribly sure what a spanker is -- though it doesn't take much imagination to guess -- a quick Google search turned up a rather visual site called rudemetal.com, featuring the kind of accessories destined never to make it into a rag industry trade mag.
British tabloid The Sun, hardly known for being chaste, has gushed enthusiastically about the kinky designer sex toy, reporting that ever since a picture of it appeared in the UK version of Esquire, Gucci has been inundated with calls seeking information on the not-yet-available leather strap. All the inquiries have apparently been from women.
According to a Gucci spokesperson, the spanker will retail for about 160 euros in calfskin (which packs a softer punch). For the more decadent, it also comes in crocodile. Due to bow in all major Gucci stores in early September, judging by the reaction in the UK, stock may sell out in that country before it even hits the shop floor.
Upon reflection, it really was only a matter of time before Ford, a creator of such highly sexed fashion and imagery, went one step beyond playful suggestion. It makes you wonder whom those Gucci dog bowls were really meant for.