Real or Fake: Can You Tell a Designer’s Hardwork From a Cheap Knock-off?
Sitting on the bus ride home yesterday evening - amongst a particularly loud and obnoxious group of city 
folk - I couldn’t help but notice the number of large, screamingly fake bags surrounding me.
With hope, these gum-snapping, females knew that their totes were obvious rip-offs and did not pay more than a few dollars for them. However, it did get me thinking about designer fakes in general, and more specifically: would I be able to spot the difference between genuine goods and noteworthy knock-offs (if said knock-offs were better that the fakes that I see on the bus)?
Apparently the Bag Lady had a similar commute as I, because she stole my thunder this morning. She also helped me out, though. I was going create a game/quiz with a variety of pictures side-by-side of designer gear and their cheap look-a-likes.
Voila! Miss Bag lady, being the clever diva that she is, dug up the fancy “Spot the Knock-off Interactive Quiz” from Portfolio in July, 2007. Check it out here via The Bag Lady.
BONUS: Of the two photos on this page, one is a designer handbag costing $295; the other brags about being a good knock-off and is only $34. Click on each picture for the truth - the real one will lead to the designer’s home page; the fake will direct you to a blatant knock-off site.
My opinion, as brief as I can get it, on the whole subject of real vs. fake: If you want the designer look, pay the designer dollar. If you don’t want to spend several hundred for a purse, then buy something cute at a less expensive store. Buying fake goods is creative theft from the designer, can hurt our economy, and often supports criminals.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I can never tell :p I mean, it’s obvious if the bag is stitched poorly or something, but in general, I don’t let a design name dictate what I buy. I go with what looks cute, even if it’s a $10 discount purse from kmart.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:55 am
i would just like to say that i totally disagree with the idea that you have to pay 500 dollars for a bag that really isn’t very nice looking but just has a designer label on it than get another one that is bigger and prettier for less than half the price. you say that it is creative theft, and in turn SUPPORTS criminals. do you even hear how stupid that sounds? there are many good sites on the internet where you can buy knockoff bags that have nothing to do with criminals. and although it maybe stealing an idea, the designers deserve it for overpricing their materials just because they can. THATS hurting the economy by making people spend more than they have to on bags so they spend less at grocery stores or the gas station. not everyone has 1000 dollars in their pocket to spend on a purse and it isn’t very nice to imply to people that trying to pay a more affordable price for a replica handbag is criminal.