Fooling the Eye: Knowing When to Spend Your Money on a Faux Bag

One thousand nine hundred ninety-five dollars. While I'd like this to be the amount of my last paycheck, this is sadly the price of the latest Louis Vuitton bag I want. So what to do since I clearly can't afford it? Search for a knock-off. Faux designer bags are as popular and in some cases more popular than authentic handbags. However, should you really spend your money on that look-alike? I'm going to share with you some of my knowledge about knock-off handbags, whether to spend your money on them, and how to spot a good and a bad knock-off! From my experiences, most women purchase knock-offs primarily because they want the appearance of an authentic bag without paying for the name. Let's face it, designer handbags are outrageously expensive. So what makes a knock-off worth your money if it's not the real thing?

Knowing and Recognizing Popular Silhouettes

One of the first things I notice when checking out a knock-off handbag is its silhouette. While a faux handbag can certainly have a unique shape, it may not be an actual silhouette of the designer. Most frequently, I see this in Louis Vuitton and Kate Spade knock-offs but more importantly is the reason I notice these two in particular. Designers who are chiefly known for their silhouettes, Louis Vuitton with their classic designs and Kate Spade with her square, lunch box style, are specifically noticeable due to their unique yet routinely duplicated shapes. There are certain styles that are clearly not a part of a designer's catalogue thus, if you were aiming for the appearance of an authentic bag, you should not spend your money on one like this. Frequently, you will encounter a cunning seller who will feed off of your naïveté, telling you how this unfamiliar silhouette is a part of that designer's newest collection and on occasions they may be right, however, it's up to you to know the difference.

Emblems and Logos

More than silhouettes, you should be exceedingly specific regarding names, emblems, and logos imprinted on a bag, this is often a bit more difficult to do. For the most part, when paying for an authentic handbag, this is what you're paying for. A common deficiency in knock-off handbags is their flawed recreation of emblems and logos. Fendi and Gucci faux bags are commonly noticed for this. Knowing that the actual letters should read "FF" and "GG" respectively, and their actual placement is a great start. A good knock-off should have correct placement of both emblems and letters, as well as correct coloring.

Quality Control

When checking out a knock-off's quality, personal preferences definitely come into play. You should keep in mind how often you are going to use the bag. Decide whether or not you will wear it as an everyday handbag or if you're purchasing it to go with a specific outfit. This may be the determining factor between a $50 handbag and a $250 handbag. Take into account the durability of the material, the stitching, the coloring, and inner lining of a handbag. In most cases, knock-offs are made of faux leathers, animal skins, and canvas. Does the bag leave marks easily, is the stitching thick and completely finished, does the dye bleed or easily blemished, or is the inner lining thin and weak? One of the biggest mistakes when purchasing a unique handbag is buying it with hanging designs or items that are loosely attached. Be sure that the item is not one that will detach easily, this could be quite embarrassing. Low quality in more than one of these areas significantly decreases the chances that it is a good knock-off.

Seller

Please, please, check out who you are buying from. You must consider their accepted tenders, return policies, and whether or not you can find them again if something goes wrong or if you even want to purchase from them again. By all means if they seem suspicious in anyway, do not purchase from them, you owe it to yourself to feel comfortable where you are spending your money.

Price

What should you pay for a knock-off bag? There are different calibers of knock-offs. Handbags should be priced according to their quality, taking into consideration all of the categories above. When 1 or more of these categories are compromised or flawed the price should be less than if it were correct. Higher quality handbags should cost more money than lower quality. I've seen faux handbags range in price from $20 to $600 and very rarely higher. Take into consideration the price of its authentic counterpart. The price of a knock-off should be significantly cheaper than the price of the real thing. In order for a handbag to even come close to the price of the real thing it must score an EXCELLENT in all of the categories above and even then, I would just spend the extra money to get the authentic bag!

In the end, doing your research before spending your money on an inexpensive or high-end knock-off is beneficial. Becoming increasingly familiar with the designers you love will be your greatest tool in deciding whether or not to buy that knock-off handbag. I hope I have armed you with some great information when approaching your next purchase. Happy Shopping!