UPPER WEST SIDE — Maybe this thief was prepping for Fashion Week.
Just days before the marathon of runway shows was set to start at Lincoln Center, police say a thief with cutting-edge taste snatched four Marc Jacobs purses from the Barneys Co-op clothing store on Broadway near West 76th Street.
The thief walked into the high-end store just after noon on Sept. 3, and told the clerk they wanted to see a pair of size eight-and-a-half shoes, according to a police report. While the clerk walked away to find the footwear, the sticky-fingered shopper grabbed the four handbags from a wall display.
Jacobs' leather totes, some of which cost as much as $1,300, are a favorite accessory for fashion-conscious celebs like Victoria Beckham, Selma Blair, Fergie, and Courtney Love.
The two red and two black bags by quirky designer Jacobs were valued at $1,652 total, according to police. The thief then walked out of the store "without paying" and jumped into a tan Crown Victoria with New York plates, police said.
Barneys representatives declined to comment.