I inhaled this piece. Thanks for taking us on the journey! I have the same conversation with myself so frequently these days. Funnily enough - the more I can afford the 000 price tags, the less I want them. I also love the idea of sitting and waiting for trends and urges to pass. I love wishlisting for this very reason. I’m not in a ‘no buy’ mode but I’m often caught in moments of desire that need some cooling off space 👌🏻
I own a faux Margaux and I love it. Similar to you, I also purchased after hunting for years and not finding anything similar. I also fell in love with the silhouette rather than the need for anyone else to think I spent 6x my mortgage on a handbag. I’m happy to invest in quality where it makes sense but the markup on designer handbags (particularly in the last couple of years) has become unethical, in my opinion.
I am not a bag person but I am a shoe hoarder and I have bought dupes of designer shoes. I want to sit here and write a well-thought-out comment for why I do and how I justify it but the reality is that I like the shoe but cannot afford the “real” thing. The truth is that the moral implications of shopping extend waaaayyyy beyond dupes into overconsumption, pollution, etc. so I worry less about dupes and more about reducing my overall consumption 🤷♀️
Such a thoughtful piece, Harriet. I keep circling back to this: if only luxury hadn’t lost its lust, I’d probably be able to justify spending all those zeros. But when the quality no longer aligns with the price — and sustainability feels more like a marketing slogan than a real value — it’s hard to see the point. The dupe culture isn’t just about access; it’s also a reaction to a luxury market that seems to have forgotten why we ever aspired to it in the first place.
I love you and I also couldn’t disagree more! Substack is a good place to learn that this is possible and also push yourself to consider different points of view! I am grateful. 😘
This is such a nuanced topic that I’ve gone back and forth about myself. I have 2 faux bags that I rarely use because I don’t want to be called out. However, I can’t justify spending 3 times my mortgage & property taxes on a bag. It’s a bag that I want to actually use not just display. I don’t want to balk when the flight attendant says I have to put it in the overhead bin either.
I was in a local shoe store recently {that sells beautiful shoes, btw, but not 1k+ designers}. I commented that I tried on a couple of the designer comfort sandals and I wish they weren't so darn comfortable, bc I can't justify $1200 for sandals that will walk in all kinds of terrain and weather conditions. She whispered a website that I should try for dupes. She said so many of their customers {it is a pretty well to do town} as well as the salespeople buy their shoes there! I was shocked but the price was so ridiculous they were worth a try. They are as nice and as comfortable as the real thing and they're real leather. But here's a catch ~ I don't always wear them bc I don't want people in the know to THINK I spent $1200 dollars on my sandals. How crazy is that? I wish they just made the nice sandals without the logo!
Absolutely agree that there’s often very little difference in quality and production ethics between a designer bag and the ‘inspired by’ version at a tenth of the price. Nonetheless, the sale of fake designer goods does fund organised crime, terrorism and trafficking and I think at that point the good ship Nuance sets sail. Personally the more I engage with the world of luxury goods the more nauseating I find it, and tend now to opt for locally-produced items with solid provenance. But I will never forget the thrill of unboxing the Chanel 2.55 which has been part of my life for over a decade now!
This is such a complex and nuanced topic and I appreciated how you looked at multiple perspectives. Being a perfect shopper is an impossible feat with today's global production scale. Seconding Deluxe, I think that this is where I first learned that the "made in" label can mean where a product gets its last trims vs. where its made in its entirety. An adjacent book that I love is Bringing Home the Birkin. It's a fascinating read by Michael Tonello who circumvented Hermes' buying process to become a reseller when online resale was still nascent. You might have already read this, but for anyone who hasn't it's a great book!
Thanks for your comment Tina and I totally agree…it is so complex. Thanks for reminding me to pick up that book, it’s been on my TBR list forever and I’m going to bump it to the top of my list. X
Apologies, this is v belated, but it's an autobiography set in a time before the big resale platforms. The MC stumbles in reselling Hermes on eBay and finds a formula for buying Birkins in the stores. His new job takes him all over the world visiting Hermes stores to buy product. It's fascinating and a really fun read if you need a book on the lighter side :)
Loved this thank you so much! Was thinking of writing something similar about my “fake” Goyard I bought for the same reason: do I really want to spend thousands on a bag I use as my knock around mom bag? The answer was no. Will definitely be sharing yours whenever I get a chance to write 💛
I inhaled this piece. Thanks for taking us on the journey! I have the same conversation with myself so frequently these days. Funnily enough - the more I can afford the 000 price tags, the less I want them. I also love the idea of sitting and waiting for trends and urges to pass. I love wishlisting for this very reason. I’m not in a ‘no buy’ mode but I’m often caught in moments of desire that need some cooling off space 👌🏻
Totally! Thanks so much for sharing :)
I own a faux Margaux and I love it. Similar to you, I also purchased after hunting for years and not finding anything similar. I also fell in love with the silhouette rather than the need for anyone else to think I spent 6x my mortgage on a handbag. I’m happy to invest in quality where it makes sense but the markup on designer handbags (particularly in the last couple of years) has become unethical, in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing Amanda x
I am not a bag person but I am a shoe hoarder and I have bought dupes of designer shoes. I want to sit here and write a well-thought-out comment for why I do and how I justify it but the reality is that I like the shoe but cannot afford the “real” thing. The truth is that the moral implications of shopping extend waaaayyyy beyond dupes into overconsumption, pollution, etc. so I worry less about dupes and more about reducing my overall consumption 🤷♀️
I love this Kelly! I feel like that last line should be added to my conclusion! Thank you x
Such a thoughtful piece, Harriet. I keep circling back to this: if only luxury hadn’t lost its lust, I’d probably be able to justify spending all those zeros. But when the quality no longer aligns with the price — and sustainability feels more like a marketing slogan than a real value — it’s hard to see the point. The dupe culture isn’t just about access; it’s also a reaction to a luxury market that seems to have forgotten why we ever aspired to it in the first place.
So much food for thought in this one. Thanks for sharing. I’m entering a big quality over quantity moment in life. Perhaps that comes with age?
I’ve also been diving down the rabbit hole over quality brands versus prestige brands.
Thanks Traci yes it’s very nuanced and even I felt writing it I still have questions to which I’m not sure the answers. x
I love you and I also couldn’t disagree more! Substack is a good place to learn that this is possible and also push yourself to consider different points of view! I am grateful. 😘
Very grateful for you too! And for substack and that conversations like these can exist here ❤️
This is such a nuanced topic that I’ve gone back and forth about myself. I have 2 faux bags that I rarely use because I don’t want to be called out. However, I can’t justify spending 3 times my mortgage & property taxes on a bag. It’s a bag that I want to actually use not just display. I don’t want to balk when the flight attendant says I have to put it in the overhead bin either.
Thanks for sharing DeAndrea, yes so true! I also wonder how many people actually wear replicas while we presume they’re the real thing.
great and super thoughtful piece. Keep up the great work!
I was in a local shoe store recently {that sells beautiful shoes, btw, but not 1k+ designers}. I commented that I tried on a couple of the designer comfort sandals and I wish they weren't so darn comfortable, bc I can't justify $1200 for sandals that will walk in all kinds of terrain and weather conditions. She whispered a website that I should try for dupes. She said so many of their customers {it is a pretty well to do town} as well as the salespeople buy their shoes there! I was shocked but the price was so ridiculous they were worth a try. They are as nice and as comfortable as the real thing and they're real leather. But here's a catch ~ I don't always wear them bc I don't want people in the know to THINK I spent $1200 dollars on my sandals. How crazy is that? I wish they just made the nice sandals without the logo!
Absolutely agree that there’s often very little difference in quality and production ethics between a designer bag and the ‘inspired by’ version at a tenth of the price. Nonetheless, the sale of fake designer goods does fund organised crime, terrorism and trafficking and I think at that point the good ship Nuance sets sail. Personally the more I engage with the world of luxury goods the more nauseating I find it, and tend now to opt for locally-produced items with solid provenance. But I will never forget the thrill of unboxing the Chanel 2.55 which has been part of my life for over a decade now!
Thanks for sharing Caroline
This is such a complex and nuanced topic and I appreciated how you looked at multiple perspectives. Being a perfect shopper is an impossible feat with today's global production scale. Seconding Deluxe, I think that this is where I first learned that the "made in" label can mean where a product gets its last trims vs. where its made in its entirety. An adjacent book that I love is Bringing Home the Birkin. It's a fascinating read by Michael Tonello who circumvented Hermes' buying process to become a reseller when online resale was still nascent. You might have already read this, but for anyone who hasn't it's a great book!
Thanks for your comment Tina and I totally agree…it is so complex. Thanks for reminding me to pick up that book, it’s been on my TBR list forever and I’m going to bump it to the top of my list. X
Oooh, I'm so excited for you! I wish I could read that for the first time again - it's that good. I can't wait to hear what you think.
Jumping in here to praise the Birkin book❣️❣️
What is it about in short? 😇
Apologies, this is v belated, but it's an autobiography set in a time before the big resale platforms. The MC stumbles in reselling Hermes on eBay and finds a formula for buying Birkins in the stores. His new job takes him all over the world visiting Hermes stores to buy product. It's fascinating and a really fun read if you need a book on the lighter side :)
Just ordered a used version. Cannot wait to read it soon :) Probably perfect for those slow summer days...
Loved this thank you so much! Was thinking of writing something similar about my “fake” Goyard I bought for the same reason: do I really want to spend thousands on a bag I use as my knock around mom bag? The answer was no. Will definitely be sharing yours whenever I get a chance to write 💛