Many people resort to buying counterfeits because of the high price of authentic designer items. But, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t. Other than ethical reasons, I’m here to show you some of the physical differences of authentic vs. fake. Also, authentic items can be bought secondhand at great discounts!
By the way, I don’t judge people who buy fakes. I can see why people do it, but I’m here to show you just how different a fake is compared to the authentic!
Chanel:
The counterfeit is on the left side. The authentic is on the right. Almost all counterfeit bags are not even made of real leather. To people who are familiar with Chanel, a fake is usually very apparent, particularly when the item is in person.
Fakes exhibit a lot of shortcuts including bad stitching, poor materials, and lack of attention to details.
Fakes aren’t always cheap either! The fake Chanel on the left still had over 5 days of bidding left on eBay when I took the pictures. At that time, it had 31 bids and was already $810!!! HORRIBLE!
Secondhand Chanel can be had at HUGE discounts. Think $1300 instead of $4400… or $700 instead of $2200!
A fake Chanel bag can be so poorly made, that you’re better off just buying a different brand. Here’s our pick for a cheaper alternative if you can’t bear to buy Chanel:
Rebecca Minkoff Affair bag Rebecca Minkoff bags are not nearly as high quality as the top notch Chanel, but it most DEFINITELY is better in both look and quality than a counterfeit Chanel.
Herve Leger:
Herve Leger can be quite difficult to authenticate to the untrained eye as most Herve Leger is made mostly of a thick stretchy fabric. Dresses with embellishments such as beading and sequins are usually quite easy to authenticate, because once again counterfeiters really do cut corners. They use the cheapest materials and processes possible.
Fake Herve Leger fit really poorly compared to real Herve Leger even though a heavy thick fabric is usually used. They tend to lack the same type of elasticity that a real one has. The sewing oftentimes can be mis-aligned causing the dress to wrinkle, and little thought to proportions is given, lending to a poor fit. To people familiar with authentic Herve Leger, a fake is very apparent particularly in person. In just the the way that it lays against the body, it is drastically different.
eBay sellers that repeatedly sell counterfeit Herve Leger source these counterfeits for as low as $10 and usually sell them for $150 on eBay! Horrible and unethical! Don’t let them trick you out of your money!!
Real Herve Leger is meticulously made. Everything is always lined up perfectly. The fabric has a perfect balance of stiffness and elasticity to provide the ultimate body flattering fit! The detailing and workmanship is drastically better!
There’s really NO reason to buy a fake Herve Leger because of price. A fake typically costs the same as an authentic! Pre-owned Herve Leger can be as low as $75. Save up!
Christian Louboutin:
Once again, I’ve provided pictures of a fake (left) and an authentic (right) to show the extremely apparent quality differences. In person, these are even more obvious! Fakes oftentimes are made of cheap faux leather and plastic soles!
Finally, authentic items usually have great resale prices. Whereas, counterfeits are illegal to sell.
Being super picky and always requiring the item to be “a good deal,” I am one very difficult person to shop for! Even giftcards usually take me 3 years to spend, because I’m just THAT picky… unless it’s Amazon. So, for Christmas, I like to tell my loved ones, to not waste their money. Nothing at all is better than spending $50 on 5 lbs of Bath and Body Works lotion that I’ll never use.
For Christmas, I ALWAYS get myself something. And, gifting to oneself usually comes a little early.
For Christmas 2012, the Ari, a dress that I’ve been wanting for quite a while is finally mine! Here’s my review for it!
If you followed or read my old website, pre-Lollipuff, you may know that I’ve had my eye on this dress for quite a while. I’ve tried it on in several different colors at the Herve Leger boutique.
Let me count the ways that I love the Ari dress!
- It’s individually banded, providing superior shaping.
- Really pushes the girls up and gives fantastic cleavage.
- Allows for a bra, if you want to.
- Inverted hemline really elongates legs.
- Just a super sexy well designed style!
The Ari comes in several different colors. So far, I’ve seen red, black, gray, white, pink coral and blue. Be very careful! There are more fakes of the Ari than real on sites like eBay… Right now as I’m writing this, the most commonly faked are the red and gray.
The Ari also runs half a size small. While I’d love to have an xxs in this dress, I had to settle for an xs due to availability.
The Ari has been worn by many celebrities. Just in gorgeous Victoria Secret supermodels alone, I know of at least 3 who have worn the Ari! Candice Swanepoel, Chanel Iman, and most recently… Erin Heatherton!!
Quite possibly the most famous bag in the world, the Chanel 2.55 flap comes in an array of beautiful sizes, making it nearly impossible to pick only one.
Out of all these sizes, the small and medium/large are the most similar and also the most classic in size and shape. Naturally, a common question is which bag should I get?
Here are a few pictures to help you decide. As you can see the proportions are very similar.
Both the medium/large and small can have double flaps. The detailing and features are pretty much the same except the size difference.
Obviously, by looking at them, the size difference is not very noticeable when worn. Our opinion is that if you tend to like bigger bags, stick with m/l. If you tend to like more petite purses, get the small. Either choice is absolutely gorgeous!
It’s bizarre that Herve Leger clothing come with hanger tags, as almost any sales associate at a Herve Leger boutique advises that these items should not be on hangers. Rather, when storing long-term, these items should be either laid flat or rolled. We’ll go over several examples of how to store Herve Leger correctly.
1. If you have a big drawer or shelf …
Simply stack each one of your beauties laid flat!
2. If you have floor space …
Stack each item laid flat one on top of the other in a garment bag. This garment bag filled with Herve Leger goodies can then be stored under a bed, or other large flat surface.
*tip* When buying direct from the Herve Leger boutique, a Herve Leger cloth garment bag usually comes with your purchase free of charge. Sometimes, the sales associate may forget to include this, or they have run out. But, be sure to ask them for this if you would like it to be included. Typically, this garment bag will not be available when purchasing elsewhere such as Saks, Nordstrom, etc.
3. Small Drawer or Shelf …
Loosely roll each Herve Leger item and place them in the small drawer or shelf.
The Chanel 2.55 purse commonly comes in two types of leathers: caviar and lambskin. The retail cost for either is about the same. Here we’ll go over the differences between black lambskin vs. black caviar leather: how they age, maintenance, and look. We’ve taken two iconic Chanel bags and put them side to side.
The lambskin on the left is from 1995. The caviar on the right is from 2004.
In general, the caviar leather is much more sturdy than its lambskin counterpart. Although a few years ago, lambskin was more expensive than caviar due to its very smooth and soft finish. Which look do we prefer? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer!
The lambskin rates higher for being very luxurious looking. The gleam from the black lambskin is quite dramatic and striking. But, trust us when we say either purses are dangerously beautiful!
For a day to day purse, the caviar rates higher due to its amazing ability to withstand abuse. Black lambskin is not fragile and is relatively easy to maintain due to its dark color.
To store a 2.55 Chanel, one must keep some tissue paper or other soft clean material in the body of the purse and set it on its bottom in a dry place out of the sunlight. For lambskin, the chain should not rest too heavily on the bag, and a soft sheet of fabric should be placed between the flaps. All materials used for storage should not have color rub off.
The caviar bag’s leather does not need to be conditioned. Contrary to popular belief, lambskin does not require conditioning either. This information was given to us by a Chanel specialist at the Chanel boutique! The shiny patina that you see on many older Chanel, both lambskin and caviar, is actually produced by wearing the bag over time!
These bags age magnificently. The striking lambskin is 17 years old! With age, the puffy quilting on lambskin will most likely flatten somewhat, and some wrinkling may show when the bag is not filled. Although, the lambskin is more prone to scratches and scuffs, you can see that none of it is very significant given moderate care.
Caviar will maintain its puffy quilting throughout time if stored correctly. It’s also harder to scratch and scuff. This makes it more ideal for an everyday purse.
If needed, either bag may be sent to a Chanel store for a full restoration for less than $300. Please keep in mind, neither bags in the photos have had to be repaired. This speaks to the impeccable quality of Chanel!
The Chanel 2.55′s interior is just as well made as the outside. This means superb strong structure on either bag.
Hope you loved this post and all the Chanel eye candy!