Highlights
- Kevin Costner spared no expense when it came to spoiling his now estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, including funding her luxury handbag business.
- The couple spent nearly $20 million on various indulgences in 2022 alone, with a large portion going towards maintaining opulent properties.
- Baumgartner's luxury handbag business, Cat Bag Couture, was founded with Costner's backing, but it's unclear if the business is still active, as Baumgartner's involvement decreased over time and she faced financial difficulties.
It's no secret that before their 18-year marriage went down the tubes, Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner were living at the height of opulence. From lavish trips overseas to cutting-edge cosmetic procedures, Kevin Costner spared no expense when it came to spoiling his now estranged wife.
However, there's still one facet of their lavish lifestyle that hasn’t garnered as much attention: Christine's luxury handbag business. Conceived just months prior to Costner and Baumgartner's extravagant nuptials, Cat Bag Couture reportedly owes its launch to none other than Kevin Costner.
With their highly contentious divorce still playing out in the tabloids, we take a look at just how much the Yellowstone star poured into Baumgartner's high-end handbag venture.
Kevin Costner Didn’t Shy Away From Spoiling His Estranged Wife Christine Baumgartner
With details of their lavish life prior to their contentious divorce finally coming to light, it’s becoming rather evident that Yellowstone star Kevin Costner and former model Christine Baumgartner had an unmatched penchant for extravagance.
According to court filings obtained by US Weekly, the twosome was not exactly known for penny-pinching, spending nearly $20 million on various indulgences in 2022 alone. The couple reportedly allocated a princely sum of $1,964,294.95 to maintaining their idyllic Aspen getaway, alongside an additional $1,178,147.16 for their California beachfront residence.
But the maintenance expenses were just the tip of the iceberg. As per US Weekly, their expenditures extended to a further $542,303.47 for gardeners, over $84,000 for an array of household assistants, and an impressive $64,000 for professional cleaning services.
Aside from maintaining his opulent estates, Kevin Costner also went out of his way to make sure that his estranged wife lacked for nothing. As per Christine's child support appeal, in which she requested nearly $250,000 in child support, the couple indulged in nearly every extravagance under the sun.
According to US Weekly, the twosome lavished more than $20,000 on spa services, upwards of $180,000 on cutting-edge cosmetic enhancements, made credit card purchases amounting to $222,586, and allocated slightly over $13,000 to personal training services in 2022 alone.
But that’s not all. “In addition to our beachfront compound, our family travels several times per year,” Baumgartner said in her court filings per US Weekly. “We vacation in the Caribbean and Hawaii and travel to Aspen several times per year, usually during the winter and summer. We typically host family and friends on our trips," she continued, adding, “I realize that our lifestyle is extraordinary. I appreciate how very blessed we are to live this way."
How Much Did Kevin Costner Invest In Christine Baumgartner's Luxury Handbag Business?
Given their outrageously extravagant lifestyle, it should come as no surprise that Kevin Costner poured quite a bit of his net worth into launching Baumgartner’s luxury handbag business. Though the specifics remain unclear, Baumgartner herself admitted that Costner was instrumental in getting the business off the ground.
“I didn’t start because I loved handbags; I started because I was missing something,” she told Denver Post in 2005, just a year after her extravagant nuptials. “I use a computer quite a bit and travel a lot. I looked for a computer bag, and they functioned, but I didn’t find anything that was right for me. When I came up with some samples, I showed them to Kevin, and he said they were beautiful and amazing. He told me I should take it to the next step, and he’d help me. I’ve always loved fashion and style, and if you can mix it with function, it’s perfect.”
With Costner’s backing, Baumgartner roped in one of her close friends, Tamara Muro, and together, they founded Cat Bag Couture. Though the business initially focused on chic laptop bags, it wasn’t long before the twosome started designing their own line of luxury bags.
“Some of the girls I know would ask me to make a bag, so I started sketching styles for day and evening,” Baumgartner revealed, adding that most of the bags in her collection are named after family members and friends who’ve inspired her. “I love classic women who are strong and feminine."
Is Christine Baumgartner’s Luxury Handbag Company Still In Buisness?
Mere months after launching the business, family obligations pulled at Baumgartner’s partner, Tamara Muro, and the 49-year-old was left to helm the business alone. Despite the momentary setback, the former model was determined to continue growing her business. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be a big company,” she told Denver Post in 2005. “I have mixed feelings about it. I have so much room to grow.”
That said, it's highly likely that the now 49-year-old eventually scaled back her involvement in the business, as her own familial responsibilities began mounting. According to court records, Baumgartner transitioned into the role of a stay-at-home mother after the birth of her first child in 2007, suggesting that her involvement in the luxury handbag enterprise likely waned over time.
Baumgartner has also encountered some perplexing financial difficulties in recent times, a predicament that probably wouldn't have arisen if her business was still active. As per court documents, the mother of three finds herself without a personal income, and was, for a time, struggling to secure suitable accommodation for her children. So dire were the now 49-year-old’s financial problems, she declined to move out of Costner’s $145 million Santa Barbara estate until a suitable child support arrangement could be put together.
“[Christine] understands that at some point in the future, she and the children will have to move out of the family home. She cannot do so at this early stage of the case because she does not have sufficient funding to secure housing that will ensure the children can maintain similar standards of living in the parties’ respective homes,” read court filings.
“Kevin has repeatedly ignored and attempted to deflect from the fact that fulfilling the children’s needs and maintaining their standard of living are paramount concerns within this issue.”
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