Curious about designer stuff - why are people soooo eager...

Admittedly, some of this was a recent response to a previous post about purses/handbags...

I%26#39;m just curious to why people don%26#39;t see the advantage to go to New York to get a glimpse (don%26#39;t fool yourselves - you%26#39;ll never get the whole picture...) of what will be HOT next season or the season thereafter... Not all fashion waves are created in Tokyo, Paris, London or Milan... So, why are people soooo focused on getting a fake Louis Vuitton bag while visiting New York?

I really, really don%26#39;t get it! Is visiting NY just like any other ';tourist trap experience';??? Of course not!!! It%26#39;s about getting to know the city, the people, the neighborhoods, the local restaurants, the atmosphere and all that.... It should not, in my opinion, be about the ';fake hand bag hunt';... Honestly...

I don%26#39;t quite get the fuss about having what everyone else is having';...

Are people nowadays looking to score the most points of who has the most look-alike stuff??? Or are there still people looking to get to know the heart and soul, the places and the merchandice, of the places they visit?

Please, don%26#39;t get me wrong... I do completely understand that to most of us it makes no sense, whatsoever, to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a bag used only a season or two... But on the other hand, why chase a shallow ';wanna-be'; dream when there are so many great, not very often heard of, new designers to discover, appreciate and support?

Is there anyone out there willing to go for an original rather than a fake?!? I guess there are, but I%26#39;d hope there would be more of you...

When I return to NY in October I will make sure to visit (and most likely buy something from...) Kazuyo Nakano...

She%26#39;s a local designer that I would much rather support than trying to be content with my ';bargains'; at Canal Street etc...

Free your mind! (as my spouse would put it)

Go for the REAL thing! Spending all those $$$ on a trip to NY, make it worthwhile and lasting by getting some good original stuff rather than some ';Made in Wherever Cheap Child Labor Place';!!!

Truly... Compare your dear purchases to what you pay for a hotel room in the City per night. (What can you bring home to ';show off';, if that is what gives you pleasure...)

I love New York!

I love their designers!

I love the experience!

When you can experience the REAL thing right there, why hunt for the fake?!?

Just a thought...

/ Coolcat

Curious about designer stuff - why are people soooo eager...

Coolcat - I agree with you (and that is a nice bag you pointed out - very trendy). With so many cool designers in this town, and the price being about equal, I don%26#39;t get it myself. I think the thing to do is what you did - throw out the name of a really cool designer in a similar price range.

Check out this place - I have one of these bags and I love it! I get tons of compliments too (check out the press this lady is getting - she could be the new Kate Spade and I knew her when).

http://www.hableconstruction.com/catalog.html

Curious about designer stuff - why are people soooo eager...

Hey Eastcoastgirl!

That was some really cool stuff you recommended!

Looks somewhat like the stuff that is really popular in Scandinavia right now... Check out www.marimekko.fi Pretty rad and funky patterns, imo.

:) Greetings, Coolcat

- not just the random hotdog... ;)

I agree with what both of you are saying about fashion and NYC and a visitor should experience the shops on Fifth, Madison, Soho,etc. However, if someone is going to Chinatownand they stop by Canal Street for a short time and spend $20, it%26#39;s an inexpensive fun experience.

';I really, really don%26#39;t get it! Is visiting NY just like any other ';tourist trap experience';??? Of course not!!! It%26#39;s about getting to know the city, the people, the neighborhoods, the local restaurants, the atmosphere and all that.... It should not, in my opinion, be about the ';fake hand bag hunt';... Honestly...

';

Why must you say it is about shopping or learning about New York and the neighborhoods. It can be both. I mean your on vacation live it up. You want to go handbag shopping then go for it, you want to go to the Empire State building then do it. I say do it all, including knock offs, new designers theatres, tourist sites.

I say shop until your hearts content. This is the place to be to do it all. So why not????

I absolutely agree with you, Coolcat. I would rather spend a couple of hundred on a purse or some other designer garment, because I know that it will last for years. And when I go to NY I will not be walking all over town finding seedy people to buy stuff that they are ripping off from the true designers.

I won%26#39;t spend ';a couple of hundred dollars'; on a handbag. Period. I just don%26#39;t make that kind of cash. So until designers give us little folks something that we can purchase for a reasonable price, then I will continue to try to get the nicest thing that I can for my money. Personally I%26#39;m not a fan of LV, but I would like a nice leather purse with quality construction (without all the gaudy buckles!) without having to give them a mortgage payment.

And if I can get a nice looking handbag (knock off or whatever) that I will enjoy for a season or two, then good for me.

Canuck, I%26#39;m with you! Maybe I%26#39;m just an anti-fashionista, but I think most of the fashion industry has convinced an awful lot of people that style is worth big bucks. I%26#39;ve got a lot of friends who think nothing of spending a thousand dollars on a bag! I look at that and think, I could buy a nice bag for $50 and then pay a month%26#39;s rent, or feed a family, or take a vacation, or whatever. I understand the value of quality, but I think it%26#39;s silly that labels are so worshipped. Personally, I%26#39;m SO tired of seeing Louis Vuitton and Burberry patterns all over the place, worn by lots of people who (I assume) think people will value them more because they recognize how much money they%26#39;ve spent on their clothing. I%26#39;m just not cool, I guess!

I don%26#39;t know why you assume that those who are interested in finding a knock-off of the popular $1000 bags aren%26#39;t also looking at cool bags by the new, up and coming local designers? And so what if they aren%26#39;t? To each their own. I personally don%26#39;t understand people who will go to NYC and eat at chain restaurants, but they do, and have every right to. If we all lived our lives the same and enjoyed the same things, the world would be a boring place. Live and let live I say.

And, fyi....unless all you consumers are also keeping a close eye on that stuff you buy at Walmart, KMart or similar stores, you are quite possibly also buying items ';Made in Wherever Cheap Child Labor Place';.

Just my $.02.

What%26#39;s wrong with purses by Liz Claiborne, Relic, Rosetti, Nine West, even Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Esprit etc. that I can get at Marshall%26#39;s, Ross or TJ Maxx for $30!!!

I personally like to find a purse no one has - and I often do at these places. Even ';store brand'; purses are pretty cute (Meaning: Penney%26#39;s, Kohl%26#39;s even Target) I guess I%26#39;m a hick from Texas but I don%26#39;t see the big deal of getting a knock-off OR a designer bag.

*shrugs*

I work a block from this store (in Noho) - check it out - fantastic bags - can%26#39;t keep my wife and female friends away from this place!

Rafe...tres chic!

Rafe New York

1 Bleecker St. (SoHo/NoHo/Little Italy)

at Bowery

212-780-9739

rafe.com

Handbags

Designer Rafe Totengco%26#39;s chic handbags, totes, and shoes pass muster with prepsters at the Hamptons Polo Classic and fashionistas in the front row. The Brompton collection is very Marc Jacobs ($495锟斤拷锟?850), but for something a bit more refined, try the Highland Park collection ($375锟斤拷锟?650). Also, check out the plaid, leather-trimmed Gramercy collection ($150锟斤拷锟?325).