Uggg! Purse Party

[My Purse Addiction]

Last year I got invited to a purse party. I declined and told the girl that I don't buy illegal counterfeit items. She told me "Oh, they're not fake! These are the cast-offs from the factory. They're actually Louis Vuittons but they have minor imperfections so they were thrown out. An employee at the LV factory picked them up to sell them. They're definitely authentic." Um, please. The sad thing is I've heard this from a number of people who go to purse parties under the impression that they are buying imperfect designer items. My friend showed me her "authentic" purse party purchase and it was laughably fake.

And I also agree- if you can't afford it, don't buy it! I've said a few times that I would like an Hermes, but I can't afford it, so I just don't buy it. I don't go out and buy a fake- I buy another bag in my price range. Very good point that someone brought up about buying fake cars. No one drives around in fake cars- if they can't afford a luxury car, they don't buy one. It's as simple as that. Stay within your means, or save up and buy a moderately priced bag. That way you can feel good about it and you aren't supporting or taking part in illegal activity. JMO.

 

[sarahsar]

Last year I got invited to a purse party. I declined and told the girl that I don't buy illegal counterfeit items. She told me "Oh, they're not fake! These are the cast-offs from the factory. They're actually Louis Vuittons but they have minor imperfections so they were thrown out. An employee at the LV factory picked them up to sell them. They're definitely authentic." Um, please. The sad thing is I've heard this from a number of people who go to purse parties under the impression that they are buying imperfect designer items. My friend showed me her "authentic" purse party purchase and it was laughably fake.

It really bugs me when people are tricked into thinking these bags are real. It's one thing when people knowingly buy fakes, but for people to be scammed is just awful. I could see where in this situation, people could be tricked - after all, it's a purse party on school grounds, with the approval of the school administration for it to be held there. That all has an aura of authority.

 

[lakeharper]

A few months ago my DH and I went to very fancy fundraiser for a local private university. It had a live and silent auction. A few of the silent auction items were fake LV purses. Can you believe that? I am upset with myself for not saying anything, I am going find out who I can send it to and forward the article in the beginning of this thread.

 

[sarahsar]

A few months ago my DH and I went to very fancy fundraiser for a local private university. It had a live and silent auction. A few of the silent auction items were fake LV purses. Can you believe that? I am upset with myself for not saying anything, I am going find out who I can send it to and forward the article in the beginning of this thread.

Wow, that's awful! Definitely not where I would expect to see fake LVs. Was it obvious they were fake/stated in the auction info, or were they presented in a way that would make people think they were real?

 

[lakeharper]

They were represented as 'faux designer bags'. I remember I was excited when I saw them from across the room, and couldn't believe it when I realized what they really were. Just so odd. This is a yearly event, I will communicate how wrong this is before the next one.

 

[daniela127]

I'm bumping this thread because I have a situation involving one of these purse parties I'd like all of your advice on.

I'm an elementary school teacher. One of the teachers at my school has held these parties at her home. I've never gone needless to say. But now, she sent a mass email to all staff saying "due to popular demand" the "purse lady" is coming to our school to hold one of these purse parties next week. It will be held after school and in our staff lounge. I can't believe they're bringing it into the workplace.

Once again, I will of course not attend. But should I say something about how wrong I believe this is to the host teacher or even to our administrative staff who approved this? It's one thing to have this in your home where you can voluntarily stay away but to have it endorsed and brought into the workplace is a whole other issue.

What do you guys think?

I am not an expert on the legality of this stuff, but I would say that the fact that you're committing a crime in a school building, which gets federal money, makes it a much bigger crime. And the teachers and admins are state employees! You should phrase it in a way that shows that you're concerned about the effects because this is a school - maybe approach it like, I know that purse parties may be illegal, do you think the consequences could be even worse because this is a school that's funded by the government?

What a predicament - on one hand, I'd worry about coming off as a snob (I'm not saying you are, of course, but I could see how someone would take your dislike of purse parties as snobbiness) but on the other hand, it's really wrong to do it in a school.

 

[Odette]

For the teacher - I believe that if the purses are out and out "fakes", i.e. counterfeit handbags that are meant to be sold like the real thing, then it's illegal, but "designer-inspired" are not illegal. I have seen both, and it's obvious which ones are fakes and which ones are the "designer-inspired" ones. It makes a big difference as to how you would approach the situation.