It’s a Designer Accessory . . . Not! For Those Who Love a Bargain
The battle of the original versus the duplicate in the fashion world boils down to pure economic considerations: One woman’s used car money may be another woman’s handbag purchase. But that doesn’t mean the woman who can’t afford the purse doesn’t want one, too.
It is for her--and for anyone who loves a bargain--that look-alikes are intended.
Look-alikes are simply less expensive copies of a designer original. They copy the look with some minor changes but don’t pretend to be the real thing. They are legal. Counterfeit items use trademark logos and attempt to look exactly like the genuine articles.
Look-alikes are as prevalent in accessory collections as they are in ready-to-wear lines. Savvy accessory designers who travel to see the collections, watch fashion television programs and keep abreast of the latest styles create affordable versions of originals.
Occasionally, items are made from materials of a less expensive, lower quality than the originals. However, the best look-alikes are strikingly similar to the originals but priced as much as 80% less.
In these cost-conscious times, women of all socioeconomic levels love a bargain, said Dana Walker, fashion director for Nordstrom’s Orange County region stores.
“The great thing about fashion today is that there is such a broad selection that you don’t have to buy the (most expensive) item to get good quality,” she said.
As more manufacturers take their cue from leading designers, Walker said, the variety of designer-style items is so great that it is easier than ever to get a great look in many quality and price levels.
Some of the freshest look-alike handbags on the market now are from J. Tiras. The line, which includes day and evening bags, features nuances from the great design houses of Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo, Donna Karan, Bally and Judith Leiber.
The manufacturer, whose line is designed at its Houston base and manufactured in Hong Kong, relies on sales held in hotel conference rooms and offers a mail-order catalogue. The line was recently shown at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel.
J. Tiras bags range in price from $80 for leather daytime styles to up to $700 for a full-stone Leiber-style minaudiere. Full-stone styles, which start at $289, are embedded with Austrian crystals and, according to Tiras, are among the line’s most sought-after items because they cost far less than the thousands of dollars required to buy a Leiber original.
Designer belt styles are frequently retooled, Walker said. At Nordstrom, the leather belt with the chain detail is one of the season’s hottest looks. Donna Karan, who relies on Stephen Dweck to create many of her accessories, launched the belt for fall. The Karan original ranges in price from $390 to $430 and features Italian leather and a gold-dipped belt buckle and chain. However, an embossed leather style costs $74 at Nordstrom.
Jewelry collectors who covet the styles of Elsa Peretti, David Webb and Harry Winston, to name a few, might appreciate the re-creations of these famous designs at the Landau Collection, a jewelry store in MainPlace/Santa Ana.
Landau renditions feature 18-karat gold over sterling silver, Austrian crystals and Russian cubic zirconias. Customers can expect to pay an average of about one-third the price of styles with precious stones, said store manager Barbara D. Mann.
Given the amount of money to be saved, are there customers who won’t compromise their designer standards?
Both Tiras and Walker admit that true followers of famed design details could easily tell the difference between originals and look-alikes. These finicky fashion followers are willing to spend the extra money for the real thing. But even among those completely loyal to a designer’s ready-to-wear collection, some defectors appear.
“Sometimes the customer who wears the entire designer line will cross over to a more affordable accessory to save a little money on the whole outfit so they can create the total designer look,” Walker said.
Generally, Tiras believes there are more defectors than loyalists partly because the replacement value of look-alikes is less of an issue.
He said, “A lady came to me to buy some (Leiber-styled minaudieres), and she said to me, ‘At least now I feel like I can leave my bag on the table while I am dancing. If someone steals my $500 purse, it’s not going to kill me, but if someone takes my $3,000 purse, I’ll be in a bad mood for the rest of the night.’ ”
“But let’s face it,” he said, “the real draw is that everyone loves a bargain.”
