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Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
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rednrowdy
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
when i see expensive items and big logos and such, i'm reminded of something i heard tim gunn say: if you're going to carry a purse that costs a lot of money, then why don't you wear your credit card bill as well? all you're showing is how much money you spent on it. not all bags look good with all people, and buying something just because you gotta have it is the wrong idea.

then again, i'm not a fan of snobs in general...people who have to mention the brand of whatever they are carrying, or that their sweater is cashmere or their shoes are prada. who the f*ck cares? i certainly don't.
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lisas
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
Thank you for calling out the faux-science here. This is not an experiment, it's intellectual masturbation and really, Dr. Ariely, put it away.
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veronykah
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
Hey! Some of us buy fakes and don't even know it.

I love sunglasses and love to buy the $5 in NYC. I bought a pair because it looked like they looked cute on me.

I was wearing them and a friend asks me "did you get those for the Gs on the sides?"

I was like, no I thought they were Cs, I just bought them because they were cute.

He was like "bitch, those are Gs...they are supposed to be Guccis"

I had absolutely no idea.
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MakeFetch
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
"Designer copies are also frequently made by child laborers in sweatshop conditions. "

If you believe the some of the arguments made in "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster" then the genuine articles are made in the same sweatshops.
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BlondeGoddess
03/20/09

@MakeFetch: I think the argument in Deluxe focuses more on the fact that most of the luxury stuff is made on assembly lines in factories in China, rather than by a craftsman in Italy or Paris, as claimed. There really is a difference between a sweatshop and a factory. Not that I want to defend the luxury houses! But it's not the same thing.
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RobertaFisk
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
I love buying things that aren't specifically counterfit (I don't wear things with visible logos as a rule) but that are more general copies of things that are more expensive. Like a jersey skirt from Old Navy that looks like it's from American Apparel. It was $16, and can be worn as a high-waist miniskirt, medium-lenght skirt, or short dress. I'm not PRETENDING it's from AA, but it has the same aesthetic. So what does that say about my honesty?
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Horsefeathers! is still a redhead on the inside
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
I'll be the first to admit that I love the feeling I get when I'm wearing something expensive / designer / whatever. But I've found that people often use labels to hide a deep insecurity or discomfort with themselves. It's as though, if you own the right things, it proves your worth as a person to society. I went to a small private college where most of the students were very wealthy (not me) and many girls were obsessed with owning those kinds of things to impress other people and up their social status. Instead of forming friendships based on similar interests and personalities, it was more like applying for membership to an exclusive club - 'you can only do coke with us between classes if you have Gucci sunglasses!' And half of those girls didn't even like each other anyway. I got really tired of the 'I can't be friends with you if you don't have (this) or don't drive (this) etc etc etc.' mentality... sorry, getting off topic, but my original point was that some people use that feeling that we get from expensive things to try and prove themselves to other people, usually because there's a lack of confidence in themselves.

Sadly, we often define our value by what we possess, not who we are...
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EdnasEdibles
03/20/09

@Horsefeathers!: I went to a small private high school and it was very much the same thing. A large gucci bag got you into certain social circles. It was very much an exclusive club.

That being said now that I'm older I do recognize that certain brands cost more because of quality. A white button down blouse from Brooks Brothers makes me feel a bajillion times more grown-up and professional than a white button down blouse from Gap.
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EdnasEdibles
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
I think the most important question that needs to be asked is "What the hell conference do you present at where you get a free prada bag at the end of it"

And "Who on earth is allowed to keep prada bags from clients as gifts" without it being some sort of a conflict of interest issue.
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Eric Northman is mine
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
The idea of luxury goods just shows that there are two types of shoppers; people who brag about how much they spend on things and people who brag about how much they save on things.
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la.donna.pietra
03/20/09

@Sookie Stackhouse: Oh, that isn't limited to luxury goods. I don't think my mother has ever purchased anything without bragging about how much she saved on it, including tampons.
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Rare Affinity
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
Years ago before freshwater pearls brought down the price dramatcially, I was wearing a fake pearl necklace at work. One of the guys saw it and asked if it was real. I simply smiled enigmatically and he went around telling people that it WAS real. I have heard people who own "family heirlooms" admit that the fabulous jewellery they are wearing are actually fakes, as the real jewels have to be kept locked away in a bank vault but everyone assumes they must be the real deal. It is the same with designer labels. people are paying a fortune to flaunt the name. Unless it is haute couture there is no guarantee of better quality tailoring or material from designer labels than from less well known middle range designers.
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We Don't Live in the 60s
03/20/09

@Rare Affinity: I know several women my mother's age (58) who wear faux rings as the actual diamond rings are in the bank vault. Part of me gets why they do it, but the other part of me wonders what's the point of owning something you don't feel safe wearing.

All that said I have both real and fake pearls and no one can tell the difference.
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Rare Affinity
03/20/09

@We Don't Live in the 60s: I suppose when they were given the rings they might have felt they could wear them outside with confidence. Now they might be afraid wearing them in public makes them a target for muggers. As for the pearls, Coco Chanel made costume jewellery and fake pearls fashionable amongst those who could afford the real things but freshwater pearls are now so relatively low in price, that I bought several necklaces and wear them all the time, knowing that the insurance is not prohibitive should I lose them.
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Lymed
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
Ooh, I'm presenting at a conference in a couple of weeks. I will be totally disappointed if I don't get Prada.
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tscheese
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
I've been working in the NYC area for five years now, and I still can't bring myself to be brand-conscious. I might be a really bad consumer.

My grandma got me a big Coach tote - very classic, low-key, no big silkscreened blingy logos anywhere - when I graduated from undergrad, and I honestly do not use it. My battered nylon messenger bag? My best friend.

I guess I would love to understand the pride and quality and general feelings of goodness and cuddles that come from getting a real life designer product at a reasonable price, but I'm cheap and lazy.
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LaFemme
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
DON'T BUY FAKES! Counterfeit goods support terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, slave labor, and are a tool for money laundering. They are so, so dirty. I deal with this terrible business in my line of work, and seeing fake bags make me go apeshit.
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BlondeGoddess
03/20/09

@LaFemme: And don;t forget about child labor. I was in Hong Kong recently, and the 'ladies market' with all the fake bags and shit made me sick and angry.
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taranwanderer
03/20/09

@LaFemme: THANK YOU!! I call fakes "sweatshop bags." They're terrible and I'm ashamed when I hear of friends buying knockoff anything.
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taranwanderer
03/20/09

@LaFemme: @BlondeGoddess: Also, I love how an article on the "moral costs of counterfeiting" does not mention this AT ALL. (I'm glad Tatiana does, however.) These are the real issues.
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LaFemme
03/20/09

@taranwanderer: I like to call them either "bin Laden bags" or "bin Laden bucks."
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quatrevingtquatre
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
I don't buy fakes. I mean, I guess whatever is sold at Gap/Banana Republic is a knock-off of something that was seen on a runway last season, but I would never buy a fake Prada bag or something.

Either I save up for a nice Longchamp leather bag or I settle on my significantly less expensive nylon Longchamp shopper or a cute Target dealio.

Having been brought up in a single househould with a mother who was as poor as she was fashion concious, I've learned the value of putting together a nice outfit on the cheap.

And in the end, it's all about how you carry yourself that makes you (or makes you not) stylish.
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Dictator for Life
03/20/09

@thatonegirlsays Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona Daoibh!: I bought a Longchamp leather purse in France last year, and I love it. I have carried it every day since I bought it, and I get compliments on it all the time. And I've also not run into anyone carrying the same bag.
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Eric Northman is mine
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
I can appreciate luxury goods but i don't deem them a necessity or a sign of my worth and I would never buy a fake. What's the point of wasting money on a Pendi Bag or Jimmi Koo heels. Either you can afford it or you can't.
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fol_de_rol
03/20/09

In reply to Does Wearing Fake Fashion Make You More Dishonest In Daily Life?
What if you buy the cool bag from Target without having any idea it's "inspired by" a designer item because you are too poor/clueless to pay attention to such things?
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tscheese
03/20/09

@fol_de_rol: Well, I think there's a difference between pieces that are a tribute to, or inspired by, designer/trendy things, and the Chinatown pieces that actually put trademarked logos all over them like they're the real thing.

At least, that's how I see it. I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with a discount handbag line taking inspiration from the shape and lines and materials of a designer bag--I don't think anyone can stop them. They're not selling the bags as high-end bags or trying to fool anyone into thinking they are.

The really egregious fakes are the one that say "PARDA" or "COAHC."
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katie.scarlett.o'hara
03/20/09

@fol_de_rol: I have a bag from Target that I didn't realize until later is a Balenciaga knock-off. Whatevs. It's served me well and still gets complements, and it's not even real leather.

@tscheese: I agree. I wouldn't buy a designer anything if it had the logo all over, but the fakes with the logos are so bad. Reminds me of my ex-stepmother, who always wore 'G-Lo' sunglasses and 'GOCCI' bags. Blergh.
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