When people think of designer bags they think of luxe fabrics, logos, sleek and stylish made by iconic fashion brand designers. I recently found myself in Chinatown, gazing at faux designer bags all for a fraction of the price of a real designer item. The temptation was strong to buy one!
First off, I couldn’t take my eyes off the faux designer leather bags. Sure, they weren’t made with the superior leather quality, but the look was similar to the real bags so, it was uber-tempting to have one. None of them were branded because they were fake, but the selection was good enough to make you second guess if it was the real deal or not.
Fortunately, my gut told me no. I knew the material quality of the real deal and could easily spot the discrepancy. Even though they were not made with the same high-end quality materials, the attention to detail was definitely there.
As I browsed the stalls, I was amazed at the similarities. Every bag I looked at was like a close replica of a real designer bag. Stitching, printing, branding all were very well done and had me questioning if it was really a fraud.
Still, I kept thinking these bags weren’t going to last very long. It was showing signs of wear and tear as soon as I looked at it, which was a major red flag for me. Nothing about these bags screamed luxury, just a bunch of cheap imitations.
I ended up leaving the store empty-handed and a little wiser. No matter how tempted I was or close to the real deal these bags seemed to be, I knew I should invest in the real luxury pieces. It’s a good thing I remembered this because buying a fake designer bag is not only too good to be true, but also illegal.
I quickly bit the bullet, scrimped and saved until I could afford a real designer piece. Even though it took much longer than I had hoped, it was definitely worth it. The quality of the real designer bag was far superior compared to the fake ones.
I must say, it was a relief having quality designer pieces. I felt like I got my money’s worth. It certainly was hypocritical of me to think I’d be able to find quality designer pieces for a cheap price.
My experience with fake designer bags in Chinatown really opened up my eyes and made me think twice before buying a knock-off. It made me realize that investing in the real deal is much smarter and well worth the extra money. Over time I learned to no longer be swayed by the sleek look of fake designer products. But it’s still satisfying having that one bag from Chinatown hanging in my closet as a reminder not to fall for the faux.