I have seen products of both brands at Neiman Marcus Last Call before. Comparing their leather, hardware, threads, interior designs, and prices, you can tell right away that Valentino Garavani is definitely a high-end designer, and Mario Valentino is some kind of a less than average contemporary designer. I realize one thing that may cause confusion is their big V logos. The V of Mario Valentino is placed inside a close circle while that of Valentino Garavani has some open space on top of the letter. I’m not surprised to hear your story though, because by the time I was in the store, some lady shoppers next to me were also super excited to get such a good deal for a “Valentino” bag just like you.
I’m so sorry for what happened to you. If that was me, I’d feel shocked and disappointed like you too. Please share if you reached out and talked to the store about the issue.
