Diamonds?

For those of you who are still interested in purchasing knockoffs for whatever reason -- in New York, the "stationary tables" at the corners have obviously fake items - they don't even try too hard to look real. That could be the reason they have licenses and stay put. For the good copies, you have to find the people with the merchandise in the blankets moving from corner to corner. They don't want to stay put for too long because the police shoo them on (but don't arrest them). I got a great "Louie" for $80.00. Can anyone tell? Don't know and don't care. I like it and it makes me feel good.

Yes, that rock on your finger has far more blood on it than any knockoff handbag. Do a little homework before you throw stones. Then again..ignorance is bliss, no?

I think it is so sad that so many people care about this stuff. $500 for a purse is crazy and to spend $24 to pretend it's $500 is just sad. Sorry, but that's my opinion.

I tend to agree with you, Rocky, except I don't find it sad, I find it looney. I have always thought those bags with the LV logo all over them were just hideous, so the idea of paying lots of money for them seems insane to me. I just don't "get" the designer handbag thing -- I must be missing a gene.

I must be from a similar gene pool, Marilyn.

A $500 purse = 1, 2, or 3 car payments, depending what kind of car one drives. A $500 purse = money in my bank account for TRAVELING!!! A $500 purse = one, just ONE prescription for my cousin's 3 year old son, who has cancer.

A $500 purse = not even the merest whisper of a thought, in my life.

I am with you Rocky/Marilyn/Birmham-why would I pay $500 to advertise for someone else-now that is truly looney!
I'd much prefer my intials to anyone elses! Yikes!
R5

I wouldn't pay the high dollar for a high dollar purse, etc...but i guess if you like that thing and can't afford the original and want people to think you've got the real thing then go for it...to each his own.

Why is this looney? My mother has always told me to never buy a cheap handbag or cheap shoes.

That doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money or get something on sale but never skimp when it comes to your handbag or shoes.

GoTravel,
I couldn't agree more!!! :)

This thread conjures up a vision of Hannibal tlking to Clarisse in "silence of the lambs", commenting on her inexpensive shoes and bag.

It is all relative to what you earn. To the average person, $500 on a bag is insane. My friend, who is an actress and pulls in multiple millions per year, would think nothing of it--and would probably by one in each color. So, there is a market out there. What is sad is women who can't afford one going out and putting themselves into debt to have this status symbol. Or buying a fake one to try to look like someone else. But, to each his own.

I bought a Prada backpack in 1997 and carried it until 2002. I got 5 good years out of it and turned around and sold it to a girlfriend for $100.

I found another Prada bag on wanted. I went to Bluefly.com and found this $700 bad for $299. I found a discout code for 20% off which brought the bag down to $240. I then applied the $100 from the sale of my old Prada bag which brought the price down to $140.

So I ended up buying a $700 bag that I'm sure I'll carry for 5 more years for $140.

The handbag I bought for my wife for Christmas made her so happy that I think I'll do it again for Valentine's Day. I ask her girlfriends what they think she likes.

Just have to clear something up: What I think is looney is spending a lot of money on a designer handbag because it is made by Prada or Kate Spade or Louis Vuitton. I do not think it is looney to spend money on quality -- whether it be handbags, shoes, or almost anything else.

For example, given the choice between a designer name, well-made, quality leather bag for $700, and a comparable well-made, quality leather bag for $300, I would choose the latter. I think it's looney to pay for the <i>name</i> not for the quality.

Marylyn, I have a few Pradas, not for the name because they wear well and most important, mine are washable and standup through rain and snow.

But the question in this context, Cigale, is &quot;Did you pay 3 times as much for the bag because it was Prada?&quot; If it's washable and holds up in the snow, it sounds like it's microfiber. You can buy a well-made, stylish microfiber bag for under $100 that will last a decade. It's spending the extra hundreds on the name itself that I don't understand. (Really, I'm not trying to be ornery, I just don't get it.)

No it's a special Nylon they use. and it's design holds the right amount of stuff I need.So it happens to be a prada, but if it had another name I'd still buy it I spend more for shoes because fit is more important then heels.
I know you are not ornery.. :)

here's a thought: if you can't afford an expensive designer purse, why not spend what you can afford on a good quality purse in your price range. That why you'd be saving your money on an (inevitably) cheap, poorly made knock-off that, chances are, most people wil recognize as being such.

That's exactly what I said about 65 posts ago, Jack. I completely agree with you.