Jae's Guide to Designer

So with the big holiday season coming up, some of you may have some designer goods on your list. Quite frankly, Christmas is when I badger my husband into buying me the bigger ticket items that I want through the year.

So you might be surfing around, checking our deals, and you might find some insane ones. Ebay, as well as alot of private sellers have amazing merchandise for well off the designer's purchase price. But beware! There is a reeeeeeally good chance that it's a knock off, and I would hate for you to buy something thinking it's the real thing and then have it be a fake. Especially because there are horrible judgemental people like myself who can spot fakes and then I'll think bad thoughts about you. DON'T JUDGE ME! Just kidding, totally do. I do it all the time.

Anyhow, here's a quick run down of a few popular accessories designers (handbags, watches, belts, sunglasses etc) and how to make sure you don't get duped into buying something from Shanghai, rather than Milan.

Gucci (You knew i'd start with this, didn't you?)

-Is it bought from a Gucci store or reputable dealer? Check where it's coming from. For instance. Neiman Marcus gets to sell Gucci. The guy you found on craiglist does not. Unless you buy from a reputable dealer, you're risking a chance of getting a fake.

-Check the logo. The Gucci logo is two 'g's and some fakes will nudge that 'g' into a lower case 'e' instead.

-Make sure it has three things with it. 1) Dust cover. 2) Gucci tag which will NOT be attached in any way, 3) Controlatto card. All tags will be white, not black, a black tag is a sure sign of a counterfeit.

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton is probably the easiest designer to knock off, there are SO many fakes out there that I usually assume that it's fake if I see a girl carrying one. ANd there's a really good chance she doesn't know it.

-Watch the tag. A fake Louis has a really nice looking tag on string with a small logo on it. LV does not tag it's bags.

-If you can get a picture of the dust bag, take a look at what material it is. If it is a cheap or meshy material, it's fake. LV usually uses canvas.

-Here's the easiest one to spot. LV bag material will ALWAYS line up at the seam. So if you see the seam and the logo or whatever is a little bit off, it's obviously fake. Remember, you pay for these bags for a reason, a designer like LV is not going to skimp on the little details.

-Feel the inside. It should a higher end fabric like suede or micro fibre.

Coach

Easily the widest-worn designer over here in North America, it's another easy one to fake because it's so common.

-Check the 'c' pattern. For one, it should be a 'c'. I have seen Gucci/Coach hybrids that we call Goach bags, where they've popped in a 'g' instead. FAKE.

-Also check out where those 'c's are lining up. The should line up perfectly in the center of the bag, even over a seam.

-Make sure it's an actual style they produce. Because the Coach fabric is common, you'll get an array of bags that they would have never made. Try checking their website to make sure it's a style they have.

-Dustbags will ALWAYS be dark brown with a dark red string. Anything else is counterfeit.

-Finally, check the tag inside. The lettering on the leather tag should be in all caps and very straight. A fake will have the words just stamped haphazardly.

Dolce and Gabbana

-I know this sounds stupid, but check and make sure that the tag on the inside is spelled correctly. I know right, like if you're going to knock off a bag, try and make sure you spell the designer name right. But it happens.

-Be wary of things labeled "D&G". It's not as heavily trademarked as the actual Dolce name, so that it gets put on alot of sunglasses, belts, handbags. I wouldn't buy anything D&G unless I had other indications that it was authentic.

-DOes the zipper and the stitching match? A real Dolce will.

Prada

-Check the hardware. Prada ONLY uses antique brass, not gold or silver. This one is the easiest to spot.

-Whatever the inside lining of the bag is, it will have the Prada logo printed continuously on it. If you don't see it CONTINUOUSLY, its a falsey.

-The authenticity tag for this one will come in a black envelope. As well as the dustbag will be white with logo printed in black.

-Make sure the tag on the inside says "Prada Made in Italy". That's what you're paying for, folks.

K, so I hope that helps you when you peeking around for your big purchases this year. I have an eye on an oversized bag that is so WAY far out of my price range that it would be tempting to buy a replica. But the thing about designer stuff is that if you can afford it, fantastic. If not, you just look silly. ESPECIALLY if you see me out of the corner of your eye sizing up your new purse to see whether or not it's fake. Spare the wrath of me! Buy genuine designer or don't buy it at all, homegirls.

Oh....MY...Gosh...From My Closet.

So I know it's easily been three weeks since I posted, but I promise I have an excuse. You can check out my personal blog to check out the hairy details. Turns out that I am pregnant with a rare set of twins that require constant medical supervision and so my life as turned into one long doctor's appointment. So other than updating their status, blogging has had to take a backseat. But I thought I'd nip in to see if anyone was still out there, and introduce you to a very special From My Closet.

Yes, there was a time when I wasn't so very fashionable. Before I figured out alot of stuff, like how to walk the fine line between dumpiness and showing too much skin. A time when I owned, like actually OWNED and WORE these shoes:

OMG, to see them in pictures hurts my eyes a little. LOOK AT THAT HEEL! LOOK AT IT!!!!

Can I say in my defense:

1) I thought these shoes were AWESOME when I had them.

2) Even thought I literally would not be caught dead in them now, I can't bring myself to throw them out OR give them away.

3) I keep them only to serve myself the reminder that anything in excess is not good.

See? We all have fashion missteps. The point is to take it, laugh at it, and move on to bigger and better things. There was a point when I wore these shoes because I thought they made my ankles look tiny and dainty. I just didn't realize that they looked like a crazy Japanese cartoon character's shoes.

And look, proof of me actually wearing them.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. That's my friend Jarom struggling under the combined weight of me and my thirty pound shoes. When I dug them out of the back of my closet (and tried them on and laughed hysterically while my daughter looked on,) and tossed them onto the floor, the thud shook the room.

So there you have it. Not fashion perfect, just fashion seasoned. Your friendly neighborhood Jae.