'Karl'

I imaging you leaning forward towards your screen 'is that a Celine handbag?' you mutter, as you open the picture and zoom in closer. Well, I will save you the trouble. No its not a real Celine bag. It's a bag which is extremely similar in style, however, it doesn't have a Celine stamp placed neatly on the front and neither does it have the hefty price tag. It probably has many other faults, but I haven't got the time and you already know its not real. This bag was in fact £17.99 on good old eBay  Am I condoning fake handbags? No, I'am not, but then nor does the bag pretend to be anything but similar. I know this can sometimes be a touchy subject for fashion houses, especially with a large majority of the high street stores offering replica pieces and essentially ripping of the talent of some designers. However, after all the fashion industry is a business and it really does come down to supply and demand.

Am I wrong with my view on fashion? Well, here is an example; Karl Lagerfeld is the 'King' of the fashion world. He is praised (quite rightly) for his creativity. But while compiling my weekly, 'if I win the lottery' wish list, I came across 'lower end Karl' in the form of reasonably priced (£100+) watches and a limited clothing line. Has Karl sold out or is in fact Karl Lagerfeld a clever business man that realises there is a huge gap in the market with people such as myself itching to have a piece of icon designer wear? However, ask me if I will be buying any 'Karl' (Lagerfeld) and I would reply ,come back to me on that'. The fact that us 'high-street hill billies' only get part of his name kind of pisses me off. It's like I'm not paying enough to own a piece by his full name. Also, a lot of the pieces are very egoistical. I like you 'Karl', but I'm not paying good money to play fancy dress and look exactly like you.

This in fact, is the reason I often don't buy into some of the lower end designer items, as they often look like they have taken little thought. I suppose some would argue; you get what you pay for. But actually, shouldn't the fashion industry be working for us? We are the customer after all, or maybe like in pretty woman 'my money isn't good enough' and this, among other reasons is why sometimes I don't buy into some designer pieces. Well that, and the fact that I cannot afford it (I hear the world's smallest violin playing). But even if I could, I would probably be asked by a snotty sales assistant in Harvey Nichols (think again pretty woman shopping scene) 'Is that real?' and even if it was, she probably wouldn't believe me. So, I decided instead of buying a 'Fake' and forever looking over my shoulder and not letting people see the shoddy lining. I bought something that looks similar. A sort of two fingers to the big guys. Although that doesn't stop me coveting the designer pieces I see on some bloggers. I have to remind myself a lot of what they wear is gifted.

Holly x

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