Never mind turning a sow's ear into a silk purse. The Post's Robin Givhan reports Laura Bush has ordered a crystal-encrusted, Faberge egg-inspired Judith Leiber evening bag (retail price: $4,175) as a gift for Russian first lady Ludmila Putin when the two meet this month during St. Petersburg's 300th-anniversary celebration. Leiber spokeswoman Lisa Wells said the minaudieres, as these little purses are called, typically come with a doll-size mirror and comb, which barely leaves room for a cell phone and lipstick. Wells said the egg-shaped purse, which Mrs. Bush chose instead of a tulip or a butterfly, is one of the company's archival styles developed before Leiber retired in 1998.
As for that humongous price tag, paid out of the State Department's protocol funds, we hear that Leiber gives "friends of the house" a 25 percent discount, while special friends like the first lady get a price cut of about 40 percent. WashPost