There’s no way in the world that I can afford this Celine Leopard Luggage Tote Bag (priced between P120,000 to P150,000 – and that’s just eBay prices, ladies), which is fast becoming the most coveted bag in the world, next to Hermes’ Birkin: 
But I can very well afford this P400 cute bag made of umbrella fabric, with Celine’s iconic bag as the structure and print:
Cute, isn’t it? I was so happy to find this bag on sale at Greenhills (from P1,000+, it was marked down to P400!) and I don’t think this bag is a counterfeit or anything of that sort. It doesn’t have the same make or materials as its genuine counterpart. I think it’s more of a funky interpretation of the iconic Celine Tote Bag.
Remember Hermes’ Birkin-inspired canvas tote bags? I used to obsess about them but I can’t seem to find a local seller for these!
I love creative products such as these. It prevents us bagaholics (without the wallets of celebrities and millionaires) from being lured into buying replicas. I was once a fan of replica bags (okay I’m not so proud of this but I buy what I can only afford) and soon I realized that the best replicas also cost a fortune so I stopped there. I was able to sell most of these bags at good prices (I take care of my bags like they’re jewelry) but I also kept a number of them, particularly those that are of really good and sturdy quality. Perhaps I can talk about them in my future posts.
Now, I really save up if I want a specific bag (like I did with my Longchamp bags), but cute bags such as this Celine-inspired fabric bag and the Birkin tote bags (which I am still in the lookout for) doesn’t require decision-making anymore on my part hehe! I get a “slice” of these luxury bags at a fraction of a cost! And I won’t be feeling guilty after for buying knock-offs.
How about you? What’s your take on replica bags? Do you think these designer-inspired bags are in the same taste as replica bags? Or are they “legal” in a sense that they didn’t copy everything – from the materials to stitches to bag dimension to logo stamping to hardware, etc. ?
RD says
July 24, 2012 at 1:37 pmI bought a Hermes-birkin inspired bag a year ago (the brown one). I bought it on ebay. I’m not sure if it’s fake (fake na nga na fake pa, hehe), but I only used it once. It looks nice in pictures but not in person. 🙁 Dumihin pa.
leadeleon says
July 24, 2012 at 2:06 pmThe Hermes-inspired canvas bag? I saw someone from our office (too bad it’s somebody I didn’t know) carrying the same canvas bag and it looked really naman hehe! How much was the bag, sis? (if you don’t mind me asking).
RD says
July 25, 2012 at 1:32 amHi sis. I bought the Banane hermes-inspired bag for 4K. Siguro what I don’t like about it wala kasing zipper. I have a lot of stuff that I keep inside my bag. I’m just wary of mandurukot. 😀
Like you, I’m a big fan of Longchamp. 🙂 Ito talaga ang everyday bag ko. Super tibay.