posted by kenbot

Jul 23, 2007 12:28PM

You're nicer than I am, LondonGirl. The writer says it's her best friend, in which case I'd definitely spill the beans. I feel like he's totally trying to trick the girl into thinking he spent more money than he did! It's a little hard to imagine a scenario in which the boyfriend was duped. If he bought a fake unknowingly, your friend should at least know how clueless he is...

posted by c.

Jul 23, 2007 1:11PM

i would want to know if the bag was fake, regardless who the person was that gifted it to me. chances are, the dude's going to play it off like he thought it was real (some guys can play the dumb card in fashion and totally get away with it). and i'd much rather hear it from a close friend than some random snob on madison ave., because she's going to find out eventually if it was so obviously fake just by looking at it

posted by tasha

Jul 23, 2007 1:22PM

We don't know if the boyfriend knew if it was fake and purposely lied to her, so I think London Girl's advice is spot on: the friend should go to the boyfriend first, and be nice about it.

Telling the friend first has all sorts of potential for unhappiness, and tact is important.

posted by arcadia

Jul 23, 2007 1:22PM

i like London Girls's plan of action. i'm a little bit more inclined to believe the boyfriend may not have known himself. (i had an co-worker once paid $45 for a LV wallet and did not know it was fake...yes she was clueless to the fact the price tag alone should have give it away.)

i once paid $700 for a small nylon Prada bag at a high end designer boutique years ago, only to discover by my mom my bag was a fake (she is a US Customs special inspector dealing in counterfeit merchandise....i above anyone should have known better!!). she pointed the one very small detail that made my bag a fake (i am now VERY well versed in how to spot fakes on all designer bags.) plus my mom also told me be wary of even the high end designer stores; most exclusive luxury brands don't sell their items in their stores and sometimes store owners willingly or unwillingly sell fakes.

posted by guest

Jul 23, 2007 1:38PM

ohhh explain more arcadia....

posted by guest

Jul 23, 2007 1:40PM

All I care about is where can I get that amazing shaggy LV sppedy?!

posted by Laia

Jul 23, 2007 2:03PM

maybe the boyfriend didnt know? or you know, some people dont have a problem with fakes, so maybe she wont even care...

posted by arcadia

Jul 23, 2007 2:27PM

my bag was correct in every aspect except there was a little leather patch behind the metal triangle logo, my mom informed me Prada sews directly onto the fabric. i treated myself as birthday present to a Balenciaga motorcycle bag a while back and even though i had purchased it at a big department store i still had my mom check. she really inspected the zippers and the quality of the leather. she says don't pay attention to those plastic cards that come with some bags as they can definitely be copied and not all bags should come with them: one summer when i was in school i saved all my money and bought a small Gucci purse, it did not come with a control card and i had bought my bag at the Gucci store!

my mom says if you are buying for example an LV bag at a store that is not a Neiman's, Barney's (depending on where you live) or the LV store itself you can guarantee that bag is 100% fake. she has worked with lawyers for many of the international luxury brands on cracking down on fake merchandise getting into this country and one of the #1 things they say is don't sell their merchandise in "boutiquey" stores!

posted by amandabug

Jul 23, 2007 2:30PM

i think the bf knows its a fake. if he's a new bf, why on earth would he go and spend that kind of money when the relationship is still fragile?

i think the letterwriter should approach the bf quietly, say something like 'that's a good knockoff you got her - where'd you get it?' and see what he says/how he reacts.

if he is anything less than truthful (or vehemently denies it being a fake, even though you're sure it is), she should go to the bff and let her know it may be fake and the bf is lying. then it's up to the bff.

posted by rachel

Jul 23, 2007 3:02PM

fake=supporting child labor and even terrorism

posted by I don't just like you. I like you, like you.

Jul 23, 2007 3:11PM

Arcadia thanks for your insights!

i too, would step to the boyfriend first. ask him where he got the bag and if he knows its fake. Then i would give him some time to tell the girlfriend. if he didnt, i would tell her.

the worst is when you unknowingly buy a fake from a vintage store. a friend of mine thought she was buying a vintage Gucci purse only to find out that it was a fake.

crushed.

posted by katie

Jul 23, 2007 5:10PM

I think we're being a little hard on the boyfriend here. He probably vaguely recollects that she mentioned liking those bags, saw somethign that looked like what she liked, and bought it. A lot of boys are, and take a weird "I swear I'm straight!" pride in being, completely clueless about anything to do with fashion.

Tell your friend it's a fake. The guy probably didn't do it intentionally.

posted by Corey

Jul 23, 2007 5:48PM

hold on here...how does one "accidentally" buy a fake designer handbag? At the mall? Hello, aren't these bags only available on street corners and other suspicious-type locales? OK, maybe if he bought it online he wouldn't know, but I seriously doubt he didn't know it "might" not be authentic.....Go ahead and tell the girlfriend the bag is probably not real. Let her decide how important it is to her to mention, or not, to him.

posted by hannah

Jul 23, 2007 6:12PM

omg, I went into this "designer boutique" once and it was completely stocked with fake EVERYTHING, some obvious fake jeans and bags, all at the prices of the real item. I was just like, wtf?

posted by beans

Jul 23, 2007 6:18PM

I wouldn't have been able to resist telling her the truth of the matter from the beginning.

posted by guest

Jul 23, 2007 7:26PM

Wow thanks so much arcadia!!

I kinda already suspected this, but it is good to hear it! I will only trust the bloomingdales and Barney's like stores and the actual designer boutiques from now on.

This is why i love this site!

posted by Justine

Jul 23, 2007 8:13PM

I really believe there is a chance the bf didnt know it was a fake. My brother (who is in the army) bought me an (obviously fake) LV in korea, and he sincerely told me that he got it from the LV zipper factory... some kind of weird story that he really believed was true... I guess it was whatever the vendor told him. I was disgusted, but I graciously accepted it because Im sure he just didnt know. [MOST] Guys just dont know the ins and outs of luxury goods (prices/where to purchase) and dont realize the ethics involved with supporting fakes. I would tell your friend, but also add that he probably didnt know and thought he was doing a nice thing.

posted by Laur

Jul 24, 2007 1:15AM

Have the bag snapped for IS......have her read it...duh

posted by Ashley

Jul 25, 2007 1:00AM

Maybe he bought it on Ebay and thought the big AUTHENTIC was for real. Guys are clueless when it comes to these things.

And if he weren't then you'd really have to worry.