By: Benyamin Davidsons

New Yorkers’ taste for glamour, dazzling designer handbags, and classy couture is being recognized.

As reported by the NY Post, a recent survey ranked New York State as the “most bougie” in the United States, owing to residents’ high-class taste for designer brands.  “Bougie,” slang from “bourgeoisie,” is often used as a derogatory term for someone with a lot of money but no taste.  The study, led by gold and silver retailer SD Bullion, was conducted by reviewing the Google trend data for 50 keywords related to expensive taste including brands, products and precious metals.  The Empire State took the top spot for most searches with interest in authentic luxury labels and fab finds.

The Big Apple’s taste for glamor can be evidenced in the trending upscale Upper East Side influencers gaining popularity.  One such example is stylish mother of three, Victoria Lagg, who prides herself with the “Birkin Mom” movement on her TikTok posts.  The 32-year-old lifestyle content creator explained it to the Post saying, “A Birkin Mom is a chic, effortless mom who has refined style, confidence in parenting and is the epitome is class and elegance,” said Lagg, who struts the city in style, while carrying a $20,000-plus oversized tote by Hermes over her shoulder and wearing Christian Louboutin heels.  “She [always] has a Birkin at hand, even when running errands with her kids.”

A sleek brunette, the top-tier tastemaker says she regularly spends $10,000 a month on designer purses, adding them to her coveted collection of over 60 bags.  The influencer, who regularly adds the hashtag #BirkinMom, on her TikTok posts, boasts more than 171.6 million views.  “There’s nothing wrong with being bougie,” Lagg proudly told The Post. “In New York it’s accepted — whereas in a smaller town or city you can get strange looks.”  She went on to add: “In New York,  everyone has a unique style, because people are unapologetically themselves and want to stand out,” Lagg said. “I would think everyone should choose items that have longevity, better quality and are overall more desirable. I really enjoy collecting pieces from many fashion houses including Dior and Chanel, Bottega and Loro Piana.”

New York is full of fashionmongers, who aspire to keep up with A-lister moms such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham.  They can spend up to $500,000 to purchase a resale bag by Himalayan Birkin, one of the rarest and most expensive totes produced by any fashion house. Per the Post, last week, rapper Drake graciously gifted one lucky concertgoer a $30,000 pink Birkin bag, during a concert in Los Angeles.  “I ain’t cheap,” Drake, 36, said as he gifted the pricey bag to a fan in the front-row.

SD Bullion’s “most bougie” survey also honored other states including California, Hawaii, New Jersey and Nevada, as part of the top five most swanky spots across the country.  On the other hand, the states of West Virginia, Wyoming, Kentucky, South Dakota and Montana were ranked as the leading states in which residents showed an interest in copycat couture or “knockoffs”.