Am I the only one who finds this ridiculous?

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#5
SwankyMamaof3 said:
doesn't Stella McCartney sell faux leather handbags?
I'm sure her's are W A Y more than $100!
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I have seen her bags referred to as being made of "ecological leather". After reading a few articles about her crusade to bring non-leather designer accessories to the public's attention, I am beginning to think that "ecological leather" is just a fancy name for faux leather. If someone doesn't feel comforatable using leather, that's fine. However, I just don't see the point in paying hundreds of dollars for a bag made of the same stinky plastic as a cheap Wal-Mart bag.
 
#6
Many people buy things because they trust/like the name. Guess is just like any other high-end bags (i.e. Chloe, LV), just down a few notches. Given that Guess is not exactly high-end stuff, it at least caters to the mainstream ladies and allows them to have known-brand bags. In the process, making them feel a little bit more "luxurious" if you will when carrying the bags. Like Swanky said, Stella M. made faux leather bags and will cost way more than $100. But people will still buy them because of Stella's reputation.
I agree with you that the materials that it was made are definitely not worth $100, but with Guess's name attached, it's certainly understandable.
 
#7
Guess has THE worst bags ever- they're all pleather with giant, blinged out logos and waaaaaaaaay too much hardware. One of my mother's assistants has a pink, faux-croc Guess bag- 'nuff said. But I love Zappos' Jean Paul Gaultier bags- there is this one messenger for $600 that has very Hermes-like hardware combined with supple brown leather- I want it!
 
#8
ArmCandyLuvr said:
I was just browsing Zappos for a large tote bag when I found this:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7241037.html

Am I the only one who thinks it's foolish to pay over $100 for a faux leather purse? I mean you can get a faux leather purse at Target for less than $20. Am I missing something here?

ETA: I only paid $80 more than this Guess bag for a calfskin DKNY tote.
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Look at the folks who are willing to pay hundreds on nylon and/or canvas bags, like Prada or LV!
 
#9
i can't stand Guess!
here in italy their bags are largely diffused, everytime i turn my head i see one....they're just inspired bags...and the materials are sooooo cheap!!!
if you can't afford a designer monogrammed bag, with the money you pay for a guess bag, you can buy a no-designer(since guess is not a designer)real leather bag....
:sick:
 
#10
Prada/LV: Made in Europe by known fashion/luxury houses, and with LV, combined with leather. Lasts for eons.

Guess: Plastic made in China, trendy, not meant for long-term use.

No matter what, you're still paying for a "name," but I'd rather my bag last for years and retain a lot of it's value if I choose to sell it down the road.


TheImportersWife said:
Look at the folks who are willing to pay hundreds on nylon and/or canvas bags, like Prada or LV!
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#12
Ammietwist said:
Prada/LV: Made in Europe by known fashion/luxury houses, and with LV, combined with leather. Lasts for eons.

Guess: Plastic made in China, trendy, not meant for long-term use.

No matter what, you're still paying for a "name," but I'd rather my bag last for years and retain a lot of it's value if I choose to sell it down the road.
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Prada: the cost to manufacture those bags does not equate to what they sell them for and I wouldn't be surprised if their nylon line was being manufactured and/or assembled in China.

LV: Again, I don't believe the cost of their materials and manufacturing warrants their retail price. The markup on those bags is so they can pay for all their marketing.

That's not to say that the Prada and LV bags aren't better made, but Guess isn't charging $600 for a bag. And of course there's still a markup on Guess bags with the intentions of marking the bag down at some point and still making a decent profit.

I can't say I'm a believer in buying handbags as investment pieces (how many people actually turn a profit on a used handbag that they paid retail for?) and I don't believe anybody buys a $100 handbag with that intention.
 
#13
No, Prada bags are made in Italy, and when they started with the microfiber, it was a cutting edge fabric. I don't own one, and I wouldn't pay those prices, but they do last.

Is LV any different than anyone else? Chloe kept raising their prices just because they could ($1,500+ for the Paddington), Kooba shifted production from Italy to China while DOUBLING their usual prices, Coach is all Chinese made with very high prices, ditto for D&B, Dior and Gucci both use lots of fabric in their bags, and the Michael Kors bag I saw with a retaiil price of nearly $400 was made in China. Considering that some of the LVs start in the $400 range and are made in Europe or the U.S., they're looking like a bargain in comparison. Leather? Sorry, but it's just not as expensive as people think it is.

Please don't misunderstand me, I NEVER said a handbag was a great investment. In fact, they're a great way to lose money, and that goes for someone who owns 50 $50 handbags, 10 Coaches or two LVs. If you have $2,000 "invested" in two expensive bags, and you sell them for $600 each, you've lost $800. Unless you really got that much use out of them, just add that on to the cost of the next bag(s) you purchase. Before you know it, that $1,000 purse really cost you $3,000.

What I have said here and in other posts is that LV is an extremely well known luxury house, it always has been, and depending on what line you pick, you can bet the item will last. It will most likely be a classic that you can pull out of your closet years from now, and it will still work. If it needs a repair, LV will be right there ready to do their job. VERY few companies will back their product the way they do. When I sold designer handbags, only LV had it set up in the store to take in repairs. Everyone else was referred to a third party.

If you're not interested in trendy items, delicate materials like lambskin or other easily-scratched leathers, or light colors that stain quickly....then an item like an LV Mono/Damier bag will outlast anything the other guys can throw at them.



TheImportersWife said:
Prada: the cost to manufacture those bags does not equate to what they sell them for and I wouldn't be surprised if their nylon line was being manufactured and/or assembled in China.

LV: Again, I don't believe the cost of their materials and manufacturing warrants their retail price. The markup on those bags is so they can pay for all their marketing.

That's not to say that the Prada and LV bags aren't better made, but Guess isn't charging $600 for a bag. And of course there's still a markup on Guess bags with the intentions of marking the bag down at some point and still making a decent profit.

I can't say I'm a believer in buying handbags as investment pieces (how many people actually turn a profit on a used handbag that they paid retail for?) and I don't believe anybody buys a $100 handbag with that intention.
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#15
I know some people might think it ridiculous to pay $600 for a canvas LV bag, but there is a heck of big difference between LV coated canvas and pleather. Coated canvas is made of Egyptian cotton that's treated to make it waterproof and pliable. LV bags smell good. Pleather is plastic and it reeks. My mom is not a bag person. Her everyday bag is a pleather bag she paid $8 for. That bag stinks! Everytime she sets it on the table, I smell this awful plastic odor permeating the room.
 
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