Martha Stewart's Big Bag Trouble

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/21/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Handbag entrepreneur Mary Norton is making demands on Martha Stewart, saying that the domestic doyenne toyed with the look of one of Norton's handbags in the summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Norton claims that Stewart's editors did not consult the designer before they replaced the gardenias on the bag with live orchids and then credited the item to Norton's company, Moo Roo Custom Handbags. Speaking to the Associated Press, Norton likened the act of altering her handbag to ripping the pockets off a Chanel suit. A spokesperson for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. said that the photo caption made clear that the handbag had been changed, and that Martha is happy to run a retraction. That may not be enough for Norton, who is demanding either a full-page ad, an editorial or payment for the slight.