Tag Archives: real or fake

day 46

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I must tell you I love getting these photos from my media archive of the bags in different places other than my home. This bag is a favorite by Jil Sander, a brand I only heard of by reading Vogue magazine back in the day. These bags retail at around $1,500, more or less. It made me wonder when saw it at Goodwill if maybe it was a fake. I remember thinking then the same thing I think today: Who would fake a bag by a brand lots of people haven’t heard of? And if they did, who would fake it with a suede interior?

The interior zipper pocket divides the bag so it’s not a cavernous hole, but not black because the interior is a light tan suede. The long straps go well over my shoulder but also allow it to work as a handbag – it doesn’t drag the ground. Thank goodness for my old posts to remind me that I paid $10 for this pebbled leather beauty.

As I did in 2013, I saved this bag until the end of the journey so that i wouldn’t use all of my favorite favorites in the beginning. On that 2013 Monday, I shared: Mondays are my day for errands, appointments for myself or the girls, and volunteering. I also try to catch my friend Jill for a commiserative chat about our high school seniors. Realization of the day – life comes at you fast. Take it slow as often as you can. Peace.

Now here we are at home, sheltering in place, and my youngest is now a senior. I’m a huge fan of NOT saying time flies. 2013 feels like seven years ago. Don’t let time fly. Slow down, pay attention, and savor it. Making the decision to do that 10 years ago changed my life dramatically. Allowing time to be exactly what it is – one minute is sixty seconds, one month is four or five weeks, one year is 325,600 minutes. It’s up to you how you experience it. Peace.

day 34

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Let me give you a little advice about shopping for bags in the thrift store. I’ve provided information about this before, and I’ll go back and tag it better with “thrifting advice” and “bag shopping advice.”

When you’re looking, do so calmly. No talking. If you see something you like, put it in your cart or over your arm – calmly. Don’t get excited when you see a brand like Marino Orlandi. Don’t talk out loud, saying things like, “Wow!” “I wonder if this is real?” “Oh my gosh!” and so on. Just put it down and finish your shopping. If you find something phenomenal like a Marino Orlandi patent leather croc-embossed tote, take it and the other bags you may have seen and find a quiet spot where you can sit down.

Take the bag and examine the exterior. Get your phone and google the brand. Many high-end brands have blog posts with photos of real vs. fake to help you analyze your bag. Fundamental questions include: Are the logos clean or slightly messy? Are they straight or crooked? Is the stitching tight, or are pieces coming unraveled? If it’s leather, is the leather supple or stiff? Test the zippers. Are they smooth or difficult to open and close? What about the zipper pulls? Here is where fakes go cheap. Is branding clean and perfect? Look for YKK zippers or zippers of similar quality, which I refer to as butter.
Moving inside – check the brand tag. Is it made of the same material as the bag? It should be. What about the lining? Quality bags make their lining, and it’ll have the brand in the fabric.

This gorgeous bag shows all the signs that it is authentic. If it isn’t, it’s an excellent fake. Little touches like the bound ends on either side of the zipper and five feet to protect the bottom, in addition to the fact that it’s a used bag in excellent shape, indicates authenticity. When I see fake Coach bags or Dana Buchman or the like, they look like… well, they don’t hold up well.

I found this bag earlier this year during the early days of the giveaway at the Woodlawn Goodwill for $10. And I qualify for the senior discount – which is lit when 50 and up makes me a senior because I’ll take that discount! – so it was even less. YES!!!

I can’t wait to get to the thrift stores when the time is right. I know I have a pile of stuff to take in! But hey, they might burn it all for safety.

day 24 – yesterday

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This Coach bag might be a fake, but if it is, it’s an excellent one. I remember when I bought it at Goodwill, I went though all the checks, and it seemed to pass. The leather feels really amazing. The tag checked out. The stitching is tight. There aren’t any zippers, but all of the closures look legit. I really hate fakes for myself, but I understand. No judgement. This bag is really heavy so I don’t carry it often. But when I do, it’s amazing. After I bought this, I gave three Coach bags away. I gave another one away this year. This is the last one in my collection. Handle bags are my weakness.

day 17

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Couldn’t give up my Banana Republic tote so I reached in the bin with smaller bags and found this Miu Miu bag to carry inside of the tote. This one has lots of aspects to check to see if it’s real.

If it’s a fake, they worked HARD.

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