Succession's season four premiere was the epitome of the old saying that "money talks, wealth whispers."
During the March 26 episode of the HBO family drama, newcomer Bridget (played by Francesca Root-Dodson) made a "monstrous" fashion faux pas by accessorizing her look with a $3,000 Burberry handbag that signaled her wealth—or, rather, lack thereof.
While tagging along with Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) to a ritzy get-together to celebrate Logan's (Brian Cox) birthday, Bridget's sartorial slip is immediately spotted. From Burberry's gaudy, signature plaid print to the large tote size, the purse not only sticks out like a sore thumb but it makes her an obvious outsider among the elite, billionaire guests in attendance.
This is where Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and his now-viral commentary on Bridget's accessory come in. He bluntly tells Greg, while pointing to the bag, just how much the "ludicrously capacious" designer piece burns his eyes.
"What's even in there? Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail? I mean, Greg, it's monstrous," Tom says. "It's gargantuan. You can take it camping. You could slide it across the floor after a bank job."
Unsurprisingly, the scene spurred glorious Twitter reactions, with one user writing, "When I tell you I would watch an entire Succession spin-off of Tom's savage fashion takes, he was absolutely bang on about that garish faux Burberry tote."
"That handbag was so perfectly chosen," another person shared. "It's exactly off in the right way. I can't stop thinking about it #SuccessionHBO."
One user quipped, "Imagine you're watching the Succession premiere and you realize you have this bag in your closet."
Of course, what makes the purse a perfect target is that it's clear Bridget would've purchased it as an investment piece. After all, many would consider it a luxury item with its $3,000 price tag. Then, there's the other element of her buying the bag—the brand's iconic plaid print makes it obvious that she can afford a designer label.
And while she might have assumed that this would impress those in Logan's inner circle or at the very least make them believe she fit in, it did quite the opposite. As the series has shown time and time again, the super-rich navigates high society subtly.
But ironically, Succession's dig at Burberry has only helped the brand flourish. According to 3DLook, a virtual fitting room company that analyzed the Google Trends data surrounding the episode, searches for the accessory skyrocketed.
"Burberry's tote bag might not meet the standards for Succession's top 0.1 percent, but luckily for the luxury fashion house, they don't speak for the average consumer," Whitney Cathcart, co-founder and chief commercial officer of 3DLook, told Harper's Bazaar U.K. "While Tom was busy firing off insults, the rest of us were Googling where we could get our own."
As Whitney put it, "Tom's sharp tongue might have just earned Burberry some extra sales. After all, the majority of us do use the subway."