I dont think that designer-inspired bags compete with actual designer bags and accessories as much as the counterfeit replicas do. Chances are if you are buying a makeup bag from Walmart that has a similar design as the LV bag, that bag’s biggest competition is the other bags around it, and not the actual designer original. In other words, these designer inspired bags are not as big a threat because it doesnt seem that most people would buy them to subsitute for the designer item. When you are buying a replica, you are intending to buy that bag *INSTEAD* of the original because it looks exactly the same.

Designer knock offs are okay when they look like the real thing….other than that they’re tacky and should not be worn or bought.

Rather than blow hundreds (or thousands) on an of-the-season designer bag that will have you looking like you hit Canal Street—and that you’ll probably be ashamed of next year—a good alternative is just to buy a fly, high-end bag by a local or independent designer. No one will have another bag like it, and it won’t be connected to a particular season, so you’ll get your dollars’ worth out of it.

I’m not much one for the designer knockoff, but I do understand the appeal. But I also understand how bummed the chicklets who pay for $700 handbags must be to see gaggles of girls carrying AAA replicas that cost $65. I agree with Kaitlin that indie is the way to go. For $130, I bought a hand-made, limited edition handbag from a South American designer and I haven’t seen a single soul with the same bag.