Counterfeits vs Imitations

Shoes: Michael Antonio, Shorts: H&M, Top: Anthropologie, 

The other day we were walking around downtown when we noticed that the City Hall doors were open and not a single soul was inside. We took it as a fantastic opportunity for some amazing photos and a chance to cool off in the air conditioning. These days are still so hot here! It was so much fun, although I’m sure there was no problem with us being in there, it was a little exciting to be there without explicit permission.

I love my Michael Antonios. This is my second pair of his, and I came across both by accident. On this occasion I was looking for Christian Dior’s Extreme Gladiator Sandals, made popular by Carrie Bradshaw. Of course, I wasn’t actually able to pay the hundreds that they ask for such a fantastic shoe, but my world lit up when I found these. They were probably about $40 dollars. 

Here comes the age old question: isn’t it wrong to buy a knock-off of an original design? Well, to that I would have to say, most runway designs are imitated in some form all over the fashion world. Or else, most of us wouldn’t ever own… well what? Someone somewhere created the basic flip-flop and someone else copied it. This goes for so many things, Forever 21 copied Michael Kors, Steve Madden copied Christian Louboutain, and Michael Kors copied Prada! I’m not quite sure how Michael Kors could complain about Forever 21 when they did the same to another designer. 

A counterfeit item would be a fake bag with the actual Louis Vuitton monogram print, or the quilted bags with the oversized Chanel logo in white. Buying these contribute to child labor and can be giving millions of dollars to people who are using it for illegal purposes. 

You can see more items that are imitated at realorsteal.com and intheircloset.com