Hey Bombshells!
I almost hit the ceiling when I saw a new MIT study on counterfeit bags mentioned on NYMag:
Not only is the study interesting, but the Assistant Professor leading the study, Renee Richardson Gosline, was my tutor in college!
How cool!
In her new working paper, “Rethinking Brand Contamination,” Gosline says that people rely heavily on social cues to tell real bags from fakes. When viewing bags on a shelf, for example, study participants couldn’t discern the real from the counterfeit. However, when looking at people carrying bags, participants judged the bag’s authenticity based on the person’s overall outfit and comportment:
Basically if someone looks wealthy, most people believe their bag is real and if someone looks lower class, they assume the bag was purchased in Chinatown:
Renee also published another study called “The Real Value of Fakes,” where she interviewed hundreds of consumers who knowingly bought fake luxury apparel. She found that within two years, 46 percent of these buyers purchased the authentic version of the same product, ” even though other people could not necessarily tell the difference.”
Sounds super interesting!
You guys might remember my heated run in with fakes from a trip to China I took years ago. After I was shamefully called out for my fake Burberry scarf, I decided to leave the knock offs behind.
How do you feel about fake bags?
Read the study synopsis here.
December 7, 2009 9:40 pm
Personally I’m not brave to rock anything fake. I would rather purchase a plain genuine leather bag than be caught dead with a knock off. Plus I work in the industry which has taught me to be a chic minimalist, that way I don’t draw too much attention to myself. I do have a few designer items and quite frankly I don’t get that oomph I thought I would when I purchased them. Also the few shoes and scarves I have end up collecting dust because I’m afraid they’ll get ruined.
December 7, 2009 10:24 pm
to me it doesn’t matter whether its fake or not, as long as it looks nice i could care less what anyone thinks. why spend hundreds of dollars just to please the perception of others when you can save that money and still rock that cute inexpensive fake bag when no one can even tell the diff??
many people also say that fake bags dont last as long, to me if you carry anything hard its bound to deplete itself. if you take care of your things they’ll last longer trust!
December 7, 2009 10:29 pm
quincy!
December 7, 2009 11:14 pm
I love this post! And I read your previous post on the Burberry Scarf incident (you must have been MORTIFIED!). But it’s great to tote around an authentic LV bag or Burberry Scarf – big deal, everyone knows (or THINKS) you can afford it – but I don’t think anyone really cares! It’s all about how you WEAR it! Most of us are in love with brand names (I know I am), but it’s also the style or design that we really dig. I would definitely give more props to a girl that can rock a Gucci bag with a properly stylish outfit rather than a girl who just throws together a gucci bag with an outfit of high-end name brands (without any rhythm or rhyme) just for the sake of looking “high class”. It’s not real. True style is real. It’s how you wear it. Someone can tote an inspired Chanel bag and look 10 times better than someone toting the real things because it’s all about how you wear it. And in response to your question “How do you feel about fake bags?” – I actually blushed when I read this post because I own a retail website that sells designer inspired handbags (without the brands stamped on them, of course), so obviously I’m FOR fakes – as long they don’t infringe on the rights of the original copyrighted article.
December 7, 2009 11:33 pm
I have seen tour buses in NYC by the busloads, you know tourists when you see them. Honey they don’t care one bit. The cops bust those places and in about a month there right back there. If there is a demand, there will be supply.
People who can AFFORD high end buy them. People who CANNOT AFFORD them buy them. The supplier wins either way.
December 8, 2009 9:36 am
Love this post Claire
December 8, 2009 10:15 am
What a great post Claire. I’ll admit, when I was in high school I flirted with the fakes… lol. Now, I only buy authentic. I guess it a quality issue. Most, not all, designer items last longer with proper care, and I understand that much more now, than I did when I was a teen.
I agree with Ms. Gosline. My co-workers assume that all my designer bags are fake. Maybe it’s because I’m younger than them, or know how much I get paid, nevertheless, they make judgments.
December 8, 2009 1:22 pm
I’m with Gugu. I’d rather have a nice quality bag than a logo ridden sloppy fake. Technically the brands I like could be considered knock off brands or designer inspired. I like Ninewest and HM.
If you wanna get a fake, fake that’s fine, but I think people mess up with getting things with logos and very poor craftmanship. People also make the mistake of getting fakes for accessible recognizable brands like Coach, Dooney and Burke and Gucci. I mean I don’t think I would notice a Chloe knock-off but I know Coach.
I’m not a fan of logos anyway.
December 8, 2009 1:27 pm
Well personally my motto is “FAKE IT TO YOU MAKE IT” the average person cannot afford the real deal however if you can kudo’s. I don’t feel that people should knock one another down over their choice to rock a fake GUCCI,CHANEL ETC (you’d be surprise how many people make judgement upon you because of that). Now as for clothes and shoes I pay more for good quality hands down. My question to any and everyone whom reads my response is Why would you pay so much money for a purse what’s the point? I’m just curios. If I come across a name brand purse that I like and it’s reasonable I’ll buy it but I won’t break my bank for it.
December 8, 2009 1:29 pm
What do you guys think of renting bags? Is that any better? It’s cheap, it’s real, you can return it when you get tired of it…
December 8, 2009 3:02 pm
I was thinking about the renting of bags and it reminded me of fashion week. Claire rented a bag and one of the very few bloggers who admitted it. I gave her props for that. Sometimes bloggers seem alittle too snobbish ….to me claire kept it 100% .
December 8, 2009 4:29 pm
I wouldnt ock any fake brands…….at all.
I figure i’ll jus save up for that LOUIS bag….once ive paid off all my student loan debt that is…lol
I think I have too much respect for fashion and myself to try it.
I would rather wear a really nice topshop bag than rock a fake gucci bag!……thats just me!!!
And when i do get that Louis bag…it’ll mean so much more ….:-)
December 8, 2009 4:31 pm
and i mighht be really old with this since im in the uk and things come out xtra late here!
BUT…..
have u watched the city episode where they do a feature about fake brands for elle magazine????
i guess its being publicised more cuz its getting out of hand now!!
December 8, 2009 4:44 pm
I dont rock fakes, I have always been afraid of being called out! I can’t afford real designer so I just wear a really nice Guess bag or something
December 8, 2009 5:55 pm
I have real & fake purses. I get bored easy & I don’t feel like spending $400 on a Coach purse everytime I want a new purse. I agree with another comment above, it’s really how you put the outfit together.
December 8, 2009 7:51 pm
Great post! I have a couple of luxury bags..Gucci, Marc Jacobs, and YSL, however I think I would rock fake a bag if I could find one that looks genuine, I can usually spot a fake a mile away and wouldn’t dare buy a bag if it doesn’t ‘look’ real.
Bootleggers took all of the fun out of that when every girl in the hood started rocking fake bags anyway. I’d rather get a nice Sabina or Steven by Steve Madden and keep my coins and my pride.
December 13, 2009 6:12 pm
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