Thursday, February 2, 2012

On Designer Brands, Fakes, & Inspirations

I am not wearing an Alexander McQueen skull scarf. Nor is it a fake McQueen scarf. I consider it a skull scarf that is perhaps inspired by the iconic skull scarf. The print is similar but the shape is much bigger (a long, exaggerated rectangle), and it's not silk. My husband bought it off my Amazon wishlist for me for Xmas this last year.

As with many designer items, there are plenty of "exact" copies of the McQueen scarf for sale, especially on eBay. I have one friend in New York with a legit scarf, & while it's lovely, I just can't see spending that much money on a very small square of fabric. I admire the designer's work -- many of his couture designs were fantastically gothic! -- but ultimately, genuine designer goods are not in my price range & not my priority. And fakes don't interest me because they're trying too hard to be designer as well. Either pony up for the real goods or admit that it's not for you.

I much prefer knock-offs & inspirations. Forever 21, ModCloth, aw heck, most every clothing store around does some type of knock-off of the latest designer collection each spring & fall. As soon as the models leave the catwalk of NY's fashion week later this month, we'll start seeing the couture trends interpreted for various ready-to-wear price points at every store imaginable. This is normal & expected.

Similarly, certain classic, iconic styles are commonly repeatedly knocked-off by others. Think of the Chanel jacket. Here's the latest couture version, a vintage suit, Newport News has one, Spiegel has one, & ModCloth has a cardigan interpretation. All of the ones not made by the House of Chanel still exude that essential "Chanel jacket-ness," without seeming fake. They're an homage, inspired by, in the feeling of. A fake would be if they had logos or almost-logos & tried to emulate the precise effect of the real thing in order to fool viewers (or worse, the wearer).

I don't think there's anything wrong with admiring designer style or brands. But faking it just feels weird. Draw inspiration from everywhere, yes. That's part of life, I believe. But be honest & upfront about how & where you do it.

What I'm wearing:
Black knit top, NY & Company
Burgundy velveteen jacket with vintage jet buttons added by me, Kohl's
Black pinstripe skirt, Newport News, gift from Lisa
Black tights, unknown brand
White & black skull-print scarf, gift from my husband
Burgundy faux-suede boots, DSW
Jet beaded hoop earrings, random accessory store
Silver cocktail ring, gift from Kendra



Do you wear designer brands, fakes, or knock-offs? Do you care?

7 comments:

  1. If I can find the designer brand in a thrift or consignment store (like my Coach bag, my Prada blouse or my Burberry shirt and trenchcoat), then I like a designer brand. I can't see spending that much money on it otherwise, no matter how good the quality is!

    I don't have any issue with "inspirations" but it really bothers me when there are deliberate fakes (my Chanel blouse really wants to be Chanel, but it's not) passed off as real. It's the deception - just admit that it's "inspired by" and don't try to deceive the customer!

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  2. there's nothing more awesome than finding designer stuffs at the thrift shop. i love a bargain, i love quality, when i can get both together, hot damn.
    I'm not gonna lie about the fakes, I do it all the time with bags and sunglasses. there is something about a bag or shades that say dolce & gabanna that makes me weak in the knees. I don't go out of my way looking for them, but if a dude saunters into the salon talkin about how he has purses in his trunk, I will go look. And when I go home to new york, we must always make the trip to chinatown, because Canal street si where all the best fakes are.
    I guess it's a ghetto thing, we're conditioned from birth to be label whores, or i should say faux label whores. my only saving grace is that when you compliment my faux prada, i will proudly brag about getting it at canal st and refer to it as my frauxda(faux plus prada,lol).
    but being that i havent been home in a while, my current purse is non faux designer from didi's discounts,lol.
    lynn brooks

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  3. I have a McQueen skull scarf and it's so light and airy. More appropriate for warmer days. I'd consider getting a heavier skull scarf for winter so that would probably have to be an "homage" to the original.

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  4. Love this outfit! I have an authentic black and white McQueen skull scarf like this one, but McQueen, and I'm so upset with how often I catch it or tear it.

    My friend bought me a lovely inspired one (just a skull scarf, not a McQueen one) and it's fun to wear. The real expensive one, not so much as I worry about it all the time!

    Give me a designer bag any day though - they inevitably last longer and take more abuse than most high street bags. And after reading "how luxury lost its lustre" by Dana Thomas I'd never carry a fake, those poor kids being forced to churn out knockoffs. :(

    awayfromtheblue.blogspot.com

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  5. That is a lovely scarf and I love how you used it as an accessory. I wear whatever I can get as a bargain despite the brand name, yet I do check the quality! As a stylist I do follow what is trendy, but being as I am mostly interested in alternative fashion, I tend to just 'hit' at trends and now follow them completely. Love your blog!

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  6. I have been following your blog for a month now, and I enjoy it very much. I love how you sneak in gothier items into your corporate wardrobe. I dressed goth in my teen and college years, but when I started working as a paralegal, several people told me I needed to change the way I dress to be taken seriously. I still dressed in mainly red, black, white with the occasional royal blue and emerald green. However, I bought some pinks, bright blues and bright greens since everyone made comments about my always blacks and red, but they just didn't feel me and that I donated not too long ago and I realized I was just holding on to them because of the guilt of spending money on them. I like how you show that you can still retain who you are, and stick to the dress code at the same time. One thing I have been a little hesitant about doing is including skull jewelry and clothing, like your scarf here to wear to such as strict corporate environment as the legal field. Any suggestions?

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  7. I have been following your blog for a month now, and I enjoy it very much. I love how you sneak in gothier items into your corporate wardrobe. I dressed goth in my teen and college years, but when I started working as a paralegal, several people told me I needed to change the way I dress to be taken seriously. I still dressed in mainly red, black and white. However, I bought some camels, pinks, bright blues and bright greens since everyone made comments about my always blacks and red, but they just didn't feel me and that I donated not too long ago and I realized I was just holding on to them because of the guilt of spending money on them. I like how you show that you can still retain who you are, and stick to the dress code at the same time. One thing I have been a little hesitant about doing is including skull jewelry and clothing, like your awesome scarf here, to wear to such as strict corporate environment as the legal field. Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete