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Yes, they’re real!

I LOVE designer labels. It is bordering on a sick obsession, but for now we will simply call it LOVE. I make a pretty modest living, so every piece of couture or designer handbag I have has required an insane amount of financial planning on my part. Sometimes requiring me to stay in for months at a time avoiding even the slightest entertainment expense…not even a Grande Chai Latte with the girls! (I told you it was bordering on a sick obsession.) Now, onto the whole point of this fashion rant.

PLEASE...when admiring my lovely new Betsey Johnson Charm hobo bag, with its buttery, brown leather and gorgeous, leopard-print interior, DO NOT, after telling me “I love your bag!”, ask “IS IT REAL?” This seems to have become socially acceptable, and I’m not sure how we got to this! I think it is just plain rude.

I know that counterfeiting in the fashion industry has become a real problem, and I do not partake in these shenanigans, nor will I. I am not here to judge those of you who choose to wear these imposters—I think most of you do it without even knowing it. Karl Lagerfeld, the designer of Chanel, when asked how he feels about knock-offs was quoted on www.counterfeitchic.com as saying: “If on another price level, they do it, it’s a compliment.” So, even Lagerfeld, himself, seems to understand our need for the double Cs (Chanel’s trademark logo).

You should, however, understand that when buying counterfeit goods, you are contributing to organized crime and sometimes even terrorism. Please take the time to educate yourself on fakes. While your desire for that new Louis Vuitton monogram Dentelle bag may cloud your thinking, you CANNOT get an authentic Louis bag on the street for $40! It just won’t happen! This is hard to hear, but you need to get a grip, ladies and gentlemen.

Continue to compliment those lovely handbags out there, and you can even ask that dreaded question to yourself (hmm…I wonder if that is real?), but please keep it in your head. The proud owner is wearing that bag because it makes her feel like a million dollars, so don’t put her on the spot, making her (and everyone around her) feel awkward.

And, if you happen to run into ME strutting the streets sporting my latest acquisition, with a big toothy grin, don’t bother asking me. Just know, I paid big bucks for my double C’s and yes…THEY’RE REAL!!



Pamela Andrews is a fashionista, a mom, an internet entrepreneur and Style Editor of Lifestyle Maritimes Magazine.