There's one thing I know that will truly make any woman look frumpy. The fake handbag.
Perhaps you think your bag looks as real as can be. Perhaps you've even fooled 99.8% of the population with it. Perhaps the stitching is perfect.
But face it, you're carrying a fake bag. It's not Coach, it's not Prada, it's not Kate, it's not Louis. It's fake. You know it and believe me, there's someone else out there that has seen you with it and she knows it, too.
So maybe you don't care that you're carrying a fake bag. You like the way it looks and you think it's insane to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for a bag and you refuse to do it.
That's fine. There are plenty of really nice imitation bags (not FAKE bags) that have the same look as the big designer bags and you can get them for a song. XOXO makes some that look a lot like Louis Vuitton, I've seen some that look a lot like Kate Spade, Dooney, and Coach. But they don't try to SAY they're Kate Spade, Dooney, or Coach.
Here are some reasons NOT to carry a fake bag:
1. The quality is just not there. While the stitching on your fake Louis Vuitton might look good now, it's going to look like heck after a couple of months. Once that baby starts fraying it's like a red alert that you're carrying a fake. That gold piece on your Prado purse starts chipping and it screams fake. Blech.
2. It's illegal! This should probably be #1. It infringes on the designer's copyright. Just like if some other blogger came along and stole all your words, that counterfeiter is stealing Coach's design. Sometimes - I see this all the time with Kate Spade bags - it's not even a copyright infringement. The counterfeiter makes a completely horrendous bag and then slaps a Kate Spade label on it. The horror!
3. Chances are you're supporting some sweat shop in some rural part of China where children not much older than your toddler are working. Is that what you'd like to support?
4. It makes you look like a fake. If you really must have a designer bag, save your pennies and get one. You'll love it even more knowing you earned it.
How to tell if a bag is fake:
1. Check the fabric. The leather should feel soft and supple, the dye should be smooth and even. The stitching will be tight and even.
2. Check the labels. A lot of fake Kate Spades have the exterior label just glued on. If you can pull it off it's FAKE. Beware of bags with "Made in China" labels. Some designers are making them there - but most aren't.
3. Linings on authentic bags will look like high quality bags. If the lining looks cheap it's probably fake.
4. If the bag is supposed to be new but it's damaged, it's probably fake. Authentic bags that have been damaged are destroyed - not sold.
5. Authentic designer bags are not sold at purse parties. Ever.
If you must have a designer bag RIGHT NOW, look into renting one! If you just like the look of the bag but don't care if it's designer, there are a lot of really nice replica bags available.
Check out Mrs. Fussypants for more ways to Fight the Frump, and don't buy fake bags!
Hey! Margaritas make you feel less frumpy, too!
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9 comments:
Handbags? What are those? I seem to remember them being a part of my life sometime before the 5,000 varieties of diaper bag took over. Funny thing is we no longer carry a diaper bag but I've never gotten back into purses.
Lord I have a fump problem!!
Bwahahahah I was just at a flea market over the 4th and saw a couple of retail stands JUST LIKE THAT - and people were BUYING them. Oh the horror!
It always gets me when a person is driving a beater car, wearing discount clothes, paying with coupons at the grocery store and is sporting a HUGE "LV". Do they really think they're pulling that bag off as real?
I used to have a few designer bags -- a stupid phase in my 20s. I would scrimp and save to buy these bags, it was ridiculous. What I learned is if you have to scrimp and save to buy a bag, you shouldn't be buying one.
Want a new silver bag.
Hahaha...love it. I went through the designer bag phase too, but that was BC (before C******) as opposed to AD (after daughter). I usually bought one if I was lucky enough to be travelling internationally (not often, egypt and vegas baby), that way you don't pay VAT and I could convince myself I was getting a bargain.
I tell you though those bags are 5 and 10 years old in classic styles and they still look brand new. Whereas cheap tat probably doesn't last as long as the plastic bag it came in.
If I can't afford a good bag, I don't carry one. I put my stuff in my pockets. If only I could afford good pockets.
Love it! I was at a straw market in the Bahamas this spring and "designer" bags were everywhere. I have no idea if they were real or not. I highly doubt it. My cousins were buying them up for their daughters.
I'm crazy about purses, but not that crazy! :)
totally with ya! and one key clue that you have a fake.... if it doesn't smell like leather but smells like glue... you have a FAKE! teehee.
WHAT? You mean I can't get a real bag at the Flea Market? You've ruined it for me now!! :(
LOL we used to get those bags when we were in High School...
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