I would first ask them where they got it from. I wouldn't say anything though because I think it's rude. Most of the time, they know that their bag is fake because THEY were the one who purchased it. In most of these scenarios, they usually say that they got it as a gift because they may sense that you know the real deal.
Calling out a FAKE!
- Thread starter FatsoFabulous
- Start date
I wouldn't call them out. A few of my friends carry fakes, and they are well aware that they are fakes, but they can't save for the real thing right now due to financial reasons. One of them has 2 real Coach bags (I got her one, and her boyfriend got her the other), but she carries her fake to work sometimes (depending on the outfit) because she works at a daycare center and doesn't want her real one to get ruined.
I actually bought a really cute red Chanel at an antique store, I knew that it was fake, but its really cute and I look at it this way- I didn't buy it from Canal street, therefore it isn't funding anything illegal.
I actually bought a really cute red Chanel at an antique store, I knew that it was fake, but its really cute and I look at it this way- I didn't buy it from Canal street, therefore it isn't funding anything illegal.
God no, unless I'm specifically asked I won't say anything. Always a good idea to remember what your mother told you, if you can't say something nice, etc. Also, of all the horrible reasons to not buy fakes, the designer company losing money is really at the bottom of my list. Have you guys seen the profits these companies make?!!!
uh, definitely not. to be honest, i don't give a crap what anyone thinks about my bag or if they think my bag's a fake. i don't buy fakes but i don't care if others do and seriously i have more important things to worry about than that. it's just a handbag, after all. live and let live, and resist the urge to 'educate' people that haven't asked to be educated. most people don't give a toss about their purses and would rather die than pay what we purse fanatics pay for an authentic purse. and that's fine. not everyone shares a purse obsession. just because bags are important to us doesn't mean they are to everyone else. also, a lot of people can't afford designer and aren't willing to scrimp and save for bags but would rather spend the money on something else. they are not committing any crimes by wearing a knock-off and no matter how tacky you think it is to wear a fake, i think it's even tackier to go up to someone and call them out on it. it's the sort of thing *****y high school girls do.
would you go up to people and 'educate' them about fast food being fattening and bad for the arteries if you saw someone eating a hamburger or a bag of chips? would you 'educate' an SUV driver over how bad his/her car is for the environment? would you 'educate' random people going in or out of walmart over the chain's dubious labour policies and the fact that they are responsible for the death of the local store? i didn't think so.
would you go up to people and 'educate' them about fast food being fattening and bad for the arteries if you saw someone eating a hamburger or a bag of chips? would you 'educate' an SUV driver over how bad his/her car is for the environment? would you 'educate' random people going in or out of walmart over the chain's dubious labour policies and the fact that they are responsible for the death of the local store? i didn't think so.
I must admit, I would prefer to know early on if the bag I had purchased (paying a realistic price from a website & thinking it was real) was a fake. The embarrassment of finding out, some months later, that it is fake!
Difficult to be diplomatic in the circumstances, but worth saying if the person concerned then has time to ask for their money back.
Difficult to be diplomatic in the circumstances, but worth saying if the person concerned then has time to ask for their money back.
that's different. if the person thinks is thinking of buying a bag and mistakes a fake for a real, then definitely let them know. what i mean is going up to random people or people you barely know or people who didn't ask, and telling them their bag is fake or, worse, trying to 'educate' them when they haven't asked. i think that's rude and condescending and immature.
It doesn't matter how much money the legit company makes, they are still being robbed by rip-offs. Would it make any difference if they were young and struggling or well established? I don't think it should.
As with a few other responses, I would say nothing if it's a casual acquaintance or co-worker, especially if it's a gift. If it were a close friend, I might do some gentle hinting, but most likely would keep my mouth shut then as well, unless I were asked.
My younger sister purchased a Coach on eBay, when I saw it recently, I could tell right away it was a fake. I said nothing. I did send her an email the following week and casually mentioned that there were lots of fakes on eBay, and she should have any bag authenticated before bidding. I don't know if she caught my hint, but I did get an email today from asking my opinion on a Coach she was going to bid on. 
This seems to come up every few weeks on this board.
I'd never tell someone their handbag is a fake. I wouldn't want someone lecturing me about how my skirt is made in the Dominican Republic and how that hurts the US economy or how I should be driving a hybrid or how I bought a new pair of shoes when I could have fed a third world country and rescued kids from sweatshops with that shoe money.
If someone asks me why I don't buy fakes, I tell them. If someone asks why I don't eat veal or buy fur, I tell them. I never try to, even tactfully, tell people about their clothing or accessories unless they ask me.
For your specific example, IMO, telling a friend who is happy with her fake birthday sunglasses that they are fake and they support sweatshops, etc is the equivalent of telling an overweight person that she shouldn't enjoy an extra slice of her birthday cake because she may get diabetes, heart disease, etc and it makes all of our healthcare costs go up. It would be rude, and it would make you a killjoy, in my humble opinion.
I'd never tell someone their handbag is a fake. I wouldn't want someone lecturing me about how my skirt is made in the Dominican Republic and how that hurts the US economy or how I should be driving a hybrid or how I bought a new pair of shoes when I could have fed a third world country and rescued kids from sweatshops with that shoe money.
If someone asks me why I don't buy fakes, I tell them. If someone asks why I don't eat veal or buy fur, I tell them. I never try to, even tactfully, tell people about their clothing or accessories unless they ask me.
For your specific example, IMO, telling a friend who is happy with her fake birthday sunglasses that they are fake and they support sweatshops, etc is the equivalent of telling an overweight person that she shouldn't enjoy an extra slice of her birthday cake because she may get diabetes, heart disease, etc and it makes all of our healthcare costs go up. It would be rude, and it would make you a killjoy, in my humble opinion.
I thought I was the only one that called them "Goaches", those hideous G's
My daughter calls them "cuccis"
I highly doubt that LVMH loses a penny to fakes, totally different markets.
I have a pretty good friend who I get together with along w/ a couple of other friends who is definitely a carrier of "fakes". What baffles me is she can clearly afford authentic bags but seems to choose to carry fakes. She will even make up a story about how she got a great deal at NM or soemthing like that. It boggles my mind! She even makes a big deal about complimenting me about my bags, as if I have no idea that hers is not real. It's a really interesting situation. None of us say anything.....I'm certainly not going to....I just hate that she lies to herself and us like that. Maybe one day when I've had too many martinis......
Anne
Anne