I did something that I feel like I have to confess: I bought a very cheap knockoff of a really expensive designer item.
I have been lusting after these Prada baroque sunglasses for months – or ever since I saw Ashley Olsen sporting them. GORG. And while I am totally not a cheapskate when it comes to my clothes (no shit, right?), there comes a limit. For me, paying $290 for sunglasses was it. So I did the sensible thing and scoured the internet for a fake cheaper pair, only to find this one for $12 (including shipping) on Amazon. And I’ve felt guilty about it ever since.
I’m not alone in wearing knockoff versions of these glasses. (Totally checked out Cactus Flower for these before trying Amazon, but alas they didn’t have them.) And I’m also not opposed to buying very high-end items. The most expensive piece in my closet remains (and probably will always be) my Louis Vuitton bag I bought when I was 22. Totally ridiculous, and worth every penny because I love that bag so much.
The majority of us consumers can’t fathom $290 sunglasses. Designers know this – they rip off each other all the time. Hell, Old Navy just came out with a heart sweater that’s almost identical to my favorite J. Crew one. And I guess you could argue that basically everything we buy is a version of something that appeared on the runway – put impeccably by Miranda Priestly.
I’m really interested to know what you think about buying knockoff versions – do you do it? Would you do it? How do you feel about it?
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Sinner!! Kidding. Ive bought designer knockoffs. Sometimes I guess you just have to when you fall in love with the design of something and you know you’ll never be able to afford the real version.
The idea of protecting original ideas has sort of become more important to me over the last couple of years, so I feel like I should have a strong opinion on this, but I’m actually a little wishy-washy. I think so long as it doesn’t have a fake label on it I’m okay. I’m more okay if the design is similar but not exactly the same. I think the heart sweater issue is interesting because when I saw the sweater I assumed it was Old Navy. It’s almost like J Crew designed something in the style of Old Navy before Old Navy “borrowed” the design from them. In the meantime, I adore those sunglasses!!
I have done it before but now prefer to try and save for that one killer item! But since I have 2 small children designer items but be put on the backburner for awhile!
Love the shades!
I don’t think this is something to feel guilty about, at all. No one says it’s wrong to buy store brand household products so why should it be different for fashion?
I think it kinda depends on the situation. My rationale is generally that if there’s no way you’d be able to afford the designer version (and especially when the item in question is super trendy and not a classic worth saving for), how does it hurt the original designer? They weren’t going to get your money either way.
Back in my younger (and much poorer) days, I had a lot of fake designer handbags. Some looked real, while some had the label on them but were obviously fake. I don’t use those anymore, mainly because they all look terrible now and I can afford bags that cost more than $40. But I don’t really have a problem with things that are similar to other designs but don’t have a fake label and/or aren’t exact replicas. And I don’t think you should feel bad about your sunglasses!