Mel's Shopping Diary
Knockoff Queen?
March 06, 2008Somedays I TRY my friends, I TRY, to be the kind of person who is more than happy with $150 Balenciaga gladiator sandal knock-offs. Yes, they are everywhere now--you can find a good copy from Dolce Vita or Mystique and they are very cute. I had one in hand today and I thought “they look JUST like them. Won’t I be happy with these?” And the answer, my friends, is NO.
SIGH.
It’s so hard when you’re a fashion victim. Fashionista. Whatever. I’ve been both at many times in my life, and the heart of the matter is, if I buy the $695 Balenciaga camouflague gladiators, every time I wear them, I will feel a secret thrill, a smugness, and a confidence, that says “I’m wearing THE SANDALS OF THE SEASON lalalala...” And if I buy the cheapo knockoffs, I will just feel lame. (By the way, the knockoffs are just in basic colors of black, brown or beige. They don’t come in the special gladiator blue-and-green that’s made only by Balenciaga. At least, not yet. I’m sure that knockoff is on its way to the stores now.)
I can’t change who I am, and I don’t think a lot of my fashionbrethren would disagree with me. We are the label-lovahs and we derive self-esteem from such stupid things as the red-soles on our shoes. (Red-soles are Louboutins, of course. But I didn’t have to tell you that, did I?)
Part of me is happy with my latest purchases: a lot of practical, I’ll-wear-them-all-the-time drapey jersey tops from Jigsaw (tops were $68 each and a silk crinkle ankle-length skirt was $150) and I bough this insane See by Chloe silk shift dress ($350) in yellow with a fiiiyyyerce jungle pattern (homage to Christian who just won Project Runway). But another part just got invited to the Lanvin, Dries Van Noten, and Balenciaga trunk shows at Barneys. You know, where you order the clothes for next season (in this case, for fall) and spend thousands of dollars on like, a shirt. And I know I’ll be there sipping champagne and oohing over the samples with all the other Beverly Hills biatches.
But another part of me does love Forever 21. I just bought a great knockoff of a Mike & Chris sweat-shirt top for $19. Can’t beat that!
xoxo
Mel
On March 8, 2008 at 10:06 am, Mikaela had this to say:
I totally know where you’re coming from. :] I mean, most of the time I can afford the designer stuff, but when I see something really cute from a less-popular store, I kind of get bashed for it. My school is really prestigous or however you spell it, and my friends and I hold ourselves to high standards. But I don’t think my friends understand when I see a cute AEO top and accent it with Ella Moss. I guess it’s just one of those things you have to put up with…
xoxo,
Mikaela
On March 8, 2008 at 3:53 pm, Elizabeth had this to say:
I love the brand name things too. I can’t help but feel ashamed if i wear somthing knockoff and some one asks me where i got it. Even if its really cute if they haven’t heard of the store they really don’t care. But i do like going to places that no one shops at which i know makes no sense at all but i really hate it when someone has the same shirt or shoes as me. Then i feel like i can never wear it again.
xoxo
Liz
On March 9, 2008 at 9:51 am, Jess had this to say:
Haha!
Part of me is glad that I am not a fashioinista because once I become obsessed with something I become OBSESSED, and I know that I would probably be like you and only want the real thing, and then I would probably blow all my money on clothes…
Well, I guess it’s good I’m not a true fashionista (in the sense that you shared above of course.)
In fact my mother is probably the queen of sale shopping, and I have inherieted that trait!
Have a nice day!!!
On March 9, 2008 at 10:33 am, Laura had this to say:
I’m definitly the same way. I hate walking throught the doors of my school in something totally scrumptious but not being a fab label and all of the other richer girls see me they’re like “omg thats soooo cute! where’d you get that?” “uhhh hollister? think?""ohhhh, ok.” i feel your pain hun.
Kisses
Laura
On March 14, 2008 at 2:03 pm, Meggy had this to say:
That so happens to me. But I blow my money all at once. Ad I’m a bad money saver. So when my friends call me and I have no money I borrow from my parents (^_^) but i got to pay it back (’_’)
On March 17, 2008 at 5:59 pm, Alice had this to say:
Erg. I understand. I live in this el crapo town in Florida. We have nothing, so I relish in my favorite store here, True Religion. Course it has nothin’ on Chloe. 8] But my friends and I went to Ross, and they had this really cute, like, R&R;(Rock and Republic) skirt replica(<<<<spell?) So I bought it. And no one even noticed. Your so lucky to live in Cali. No one here would care if I was wearing Target(which I LOVE) or some really awesome drop dead gorgeous Marc Jacobs dress. Grr.
On March 19, 2008 at 9:41 am, Jenn had this to say:
I live in a city in Nebraska...the words high fashion mean you went to hollister or abercrombie and fitch. I cant even afford anything from there--I’m a struggling musician who holds a 4.15 gpa and works a job at Cold Stone Creamery. My friends who’s parents have money think it’s cool to go shopping at hollister every weekend...umm no. I dont even own anything from there-I shop at ShopKo!!!And most of the time, I get compliments from the abercrombie and fitch crowd b/c of how well i accessorize - just buy a bunch of t-shirts, camis, and way too many shoes and mix it up a lot.
On March 21, 2008 at 9:40 pm, Pauline had this to say:
Wow I know exactly how that is I mean all my parents are saying is I should buy some knockoffs when I won’t the real thing. It ticks my mom off at how I blow off my working money for the real thing instead of buying something remotely close to it. Something about how I would be saving money but eh not my problem I don’t like the fake kind of stuff.
On March 7, 2008 at 9:52 am, Anne~Marie had this to say:
Haha, I’m the same way. I save up for months and beg and plead for something that’s not a knockoff. I blow all my money, but it’s like...I don’t care. I’m always just absorbed by the fact that I have the real thing. I practically revert back to second grade and go ‘na-na-na-na I have the real thing’.
But I also love those teeny boutiques that carry all that one of a kind stuff.
So I’m torn.
Hope writing’s going well!!
<333
AM