Three days ago, The Wall Street Journal broke the news alleging that Rosmah Mansor had spent at least 6 million USD (approximately RM24,863,700) in credit card charges on shopping in designer stores worldwide.
We don’t have access to the documents that purport this at the moment, but we’ve decided to try and take a glimpse into what the good Datin has worn to see what she might have inside her wardrobe.
It should be noted that some of the items below might have been gifts, not her personal purchases, because as stated in her biography, “While welcoming guests, it is common courtesy for them to present us gifts as memorabilia. Among these gifts include rings, watches, jewellery and others. Some are very expensive and custom-made.
When someone gives us something, it is not nice to reject it. This said, there is no reason for me to go around announcing that I have been presented watches, designer bags, and the rest. That’s just showing off.”
*Disclaimer: Prices are estimates due to fluctuating exchange rates and many other factors, which we will try to explain.
At Least 12 Hermès Birkin Bags, Multiple Colours (Total: RM4.46 Million)
Our Datin is know to have a great love for these bags and it’s obvious when you see this compilation of images with her carrying them in their different colours.
According to Fortune.com, prices for the bags range from 12,000USD to 223,000USD. Being no bag connoisseurs, we don’t know what each and every individual bag she’s carrying costs. However, we’ve just found a website that retails the crocodile skin bags at 89,950USD, so all twelve of them would be 1,079,400USD (RM4,460,000).
Hublot Watch, Big Bang Black Magic (RM67k)
This is the first of three watches owned by Rosmah which was featured in a series of images uploaded by The Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch) chairperson on his Facebook Page. The reported price on the image is RM79,200, but we found a website where it goes for slightly cheaper, so we’ll put the lower price option here, because she believes in thriftiness and saving money.
Franck Muller Master Square Lady, Date Diamonds (RM153.5k)
In what seems to be the trend for objects in the her wardrobe, prices for the watch are not listed official on the Franck Muller’s website and other retailers and second hand listings have no price shown. We’ll have to take MyWatch’s word for it and leave the value at RM153,500.
Richard Mille Lady RM 007 ‘Diamond Cruncher’ Watch (RM656.3k)
This beauty of a watch should perhaps be named Wallet Cruncher instead, with a retail price of 142,500€ (RM660,400). However, in the spirit of money-saving, it might be cheaper to get it in the UK instead, where the estimated retail price is £120,500, which works out to RM656,338.
Jacob&Co Zebra Safari Bangle (RM1.65 million)
Once again, the Jacob&Co website doesn’t even list the price. There are reports online that estimate each diamond to cost as much as RM100,000 per carat, and this blog purports that the bracelet is worth RM1.65 million, though the link it uses as a reference for this claim is no longer active.
Carl Kapp Designer Clothes (RM326k)
In January 2012, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Rosmah spent about 100,000AUD in the boutique, describing her as the First Lady Of Shopping. According to the column, she bought a total of 61 dresses, pants and tops.
According to XE Currency Charts, the exchange rate of ringgit to 1AUD around that time was around 3.26752, meaning an estimated RM326,752 was spent that day.
Unfortunately, we can’t show you the specific pieces that she’s worn out in public, because again, fashion is not our specialty.
Golden Pearl Necklace, With Matching Accessories (RM1 Million)
The blogpost we got these images from alleged that 25 of those golden pearls retails for USD99,000. If that is accurate, based on the amount she’s wearing, the Datin has a small fortune on her.
However, pearl prices do vary greatly based on quality, whether they are natural or cultured, and also by designer. As we cannot identify where she bought this from, we will go with the writer’s estimate of the total cost of her jewellery being RM1 million (excluding the watch).
Exclusive Shoes From Emmett Shoes (Priceless)
Emmett shoes retail from around 200–400USD (RM825–RM1650), but if it’s specially designed and one-of-a-kind, we can’t really put a price to it. After all, how do you put a price on exclusivity?
What other wardrobe items or accessories should we have listed? Let us know in the comments.
Feature Image Credit compiled from: ziombio.com, Malay Mail Online, ibtimes, dailymail.co.uk
