When it comes to handbags is it better to fake it; or save up until you don’t have to! All women have their own thing, whether its shoes, clothes, jewellery or like me; handbags.
If you are a handbag girl you will gush when it comes to describing your must have bag, mentioning colour, shape and style but at the top of the list will be the designer.
Whether it’s the much coveted Hermes Birkin which can set you back up to 9000.00 or the Chanel 2.55 Classic Flap bag costing anything from 1700.00 us girls what one. My dream designer bag is the gorgeous Mulberry Bayswater in electric blue, a snitch at around 3000.00.
Owning such bags has become a bit of a status symbol depending upon the circle you mix with or aspire to. In my neck of the woods it’s the Orla Kiely bag that has proved a big hit with the ‘yummy mummy’s’ and owning one invites you into their exclusive club, it’s reverted back to playground politics and not everyone can afford to join in.
So it’s no wonder that the market place is saturated with replica and fake designer handbags, the majority of women do not have thousands of pounds of disposable income to buy such designer handbags (mores the pity).
The most copied in designer handbags is Louis Vuitton, with a genuine LV costing anything up to 3000.00… Yikes I hear you say and you won’t find LV in the sale.
As you will know this is not a new thing, ladies have been faking it for years. By law a company selling replica designer handbags or as they are often called “designer inspired” have to state clearly that the bag you are buying is a legal replica, unfortunately not all sellers do and worse still there are companies selling fake knock offs claiming that they are the real thing.
So if you do decide to splurge your hard earned cash on your dream designer handbag it’s important to know that you are buying the real deal, so how can you tell if you have the genuine article?
• Firstly buy from a reputable seller, renowned store or a quality boutique and ensure the staffs are knowledgeable about the product.
• Be realistic about the price, if it seems too good to be true then it probably is, after all you are paying for a high end quality product.
• Be aware of the tell tale signs that distinguishers fake bags apart from the authenticated designer ones, such as:
Check the craftsmanship; stitching should be even with no loose threads or frayed seams.
The lining fabric should be of a high quality, fake bags will often be glued together with uneven stitching and with poor lining.
Check the logo; ensure that it is straight with the correct font and spelling, if it reads “Prado” or “Proda” instead of “Prada” then that’s a big giveaway that it’s not a genuine designer handbag.
Check the tag to see the country of origin, if a Gucci handbag says that it is manufactured in China and not in Italy then you know it’s not a genuine Gucci handbag.
Look for colour variations, if faked well colour variations may be very subtle so have a close inspection and smell the leather to ensure it is genuine, you might feel silly do this but you will be able to tell straight away if it’s made of real leather which all designer bags will be.
How it is displayed? If a so called designer handbag has cheap rustling plastic covering the handles then it’s a sure sign that it’s a fake, it would only serve to cheapen the bag.
Does it have a serial number? or an authenticity card?, most designer handbags come with one of these, serial numbers are often embossed on the inside of the bag near the handle, but fakers are getting good and often reproducing these along with dust bags.
So you can see that it is hard to ensure you have the real deal when it comes to purchasing a designer handbag, especially if you are looking for a bargain and not buying from a reputable seller. It’s important to do your homework and research the bag you want to buy which brings me back to the title; “To fake or not to fake?”
Personally for me I would always know that my bag wasn’t the real deal so I couldn’t be sure of the quality and whether or not it would wear well.
Fashions change so frequently now and if you like to keep up-to-date with current trends then an affordable replica designer handbag might be the way to go, the price is certainly appealing and you could have a new handbag for each season, which has got to be a good thing!
However there are affordable designer handbags out there that you don’t have to fake to afford, for example the British designer Zandra Rhodes launched a range of fabulous handbags in 2010 and is proving a big hit with fashionistas, prices range from 45.00 to 120.00.
Keep an eye out for up and coming designers, who haven’t made it big yet. Buy now before everyone gets on the band wagon, become a fashion leader and not a follower, learn how to spot style, real craftsmanship and quality.
At the end of the day it’s down to the individual as long as you understand what you are buying whether it is a fake or the real deal, for me I prefer not to fake it, I am going to save up my pennies until I can afford to buy my Mulberry Bayswater.
View Zandra Rhodes handbags for an affordable designer fix.