to think you only buy a LV handbag to show off how wealthy you are?

[PhlegmyHead]

I'm not disputing their quality, as having watched a lot of construction videos they do seem reasonably well-made, but the monogrammed "leather" is just so ugly.

A bog-standard tote will set you back £1200 - handmade bags made by lesser known brands/designers in full-grain, veg tan leather would cost less and be far more attractive. (And higher quality too)

Seeing as we wear things to make a statement about ourselves (for the most part) and considering the bags aren't aesthetically pleasing, the statement, in this case, must be "look how much money I have"?

There's a fab second hand market as well to be fair. You can get some great bags in good condition for less than retail price. Mulberry more so than LV. I sell my bags on if I've gone off them, to fund something new.

In answer to the original post, Yes OP YABU.

and your original post sounds rather bitter.

Every time I see someone with one I automatically assume it's fake 😕

@Mangofandangoo

Every time I see someone with one I automatically assume it's fake 😕

Yup

Dh always buys me a Chanel bag for my birthdays so I have a little collection. I’m no expert on bags but the ones he chooses are not tacky.. my favourite is a plain black sheepskin one. They are amazing quality and you could probably wear them every day forever and they’d be fine.

Not a fan of LV but I’m sure the quality is also good. However as with all kind of branded goods, they come with an image to convey and it’s hard to imagine the obviously flashy ones aren’t about money.

@Mangofandangoo

Every time I see someone with one I automatically assume it's fake 😕

I don’t own anything designer but I’m surprised by all these women not bothered by labels yet who somehow end up noticing all these women with designer handbags and also making the judgment they they must be fake.

It’s like you’re trying to say : ‘You may have a designer bag but I think it’s fake so nerr ne ne nerr nerr’.

And why the sad face? That is what’s fake.

I don't think it's quite as simple as people wanting to say "look how much money I have!". There's a huge, well-funded industry filled with clever, determined people dedicated to getting into our brains and forming our desires, creating an aura of value around whatever the product is. We don't have to be "pathetic" or "fools" (quoting PPs) to be vulnerable to it in one way or another.

It's really interesting to see a well-informed estimate of the production cost of a handbag that people pay 1,500 pounds for.

I have pretty things for me.... nobody else 🥰

@BlueThistles

I have pretty things for me.... nobody else 🥰

Me too. Don’t give a shit what people think of my stuff.

I really couldn't give a fuck whether people think my bags are fake... I know they aren't.

LV are a heritage trunkmaker who have been around for over 150 years. The quality is excellent and I use a Neverfull as my work bag because it is light and capacious. Perfect for the job it does.

When you take the time to type out "I couldn't give a fuck/shit", you come across as very defensive of whatever you're claiming not to care about. Several dozen people have done just that on this thread.
Would anyone be prepared to admit that their tastes are not formed in a vaccuum?

When you take the time to type out "I couldn't give a fuck/shit", you come across as very defensive

Which is exactly what OP did in her opening statements by claiming
I don't care what people buy

when clearly OP does care what people buy.

why start the Thread

Brown. Ugh .

Well of course no one's tastes are formed in a vacuum, what a banal thing to say.

Taste is subjective, but we buy the products that are on the market, so how can anyone's taste not be influenced by external factors?

That being said, appearing wealthy is not a consideration I factor in. I am reasonably wealthy. I don't aspire to anything. I appreciate luxury bags in the same way other people enjoy luxury cars. Given the wheel trim on my car is current held on with duct tape because I can't be arsed to get it fixed, I am decidedly not concerned with outward appearance. I like LV bags, they are classics. I must admit to preferring the classic canvas rather than the gaudier new models and their pricing for, say, the Twist bags is insane, but I'm happy to pay the money for the classic canvas models. In the scheme of luxury bags, they are toward the lower end of the scale.

They're certainly better value than their flimsier peers, Goyard.

I have several designer handbags because I like them. Couldn’t careless if ppl think I’m wealthy or not. LV isn't my style however. Prefer mulberry or coach.

Imagine a bloke has a luxury car which brings him great joy. I wouldn’t imagine other men would accuse him of trying to look wealthy because he drives this car. Far from it. Nor would he be accused of being vulnerable or pathetic for having this car. Nor would someone suggest that he is vulnerable to be creative predators who prey on him because he is a weak willed man. Nor would there be an assumption that he couldn’t afford the car.

I am genuinely curious. Why are these accusations repeatedly hurled at women about bags?

@Mangofandangoo

Every time I see someone with one I automatically assume it's fake 😕

Don't judge everyone by your own standards. I would never buy or own a fake anything. I can tell a fake LV a mile off, VERY obvious

@CarolineBingley

Imagine a bloke has a luxury car which brings him great joy. I wouldn’t imagine other men would accuse him of trying to look wealthy because he drives this car. Far from it. Nor would he be accused of being vulnerable or pathetic for having this car. Nor would someone suggest that he is vulnerable to be creative predators who prey on him because he is a weak willed man. Nor would there be an assumption that he couldn’t afford the car.

I am genuinely curious. Why are these accusations repeatedly hurled at women about bags?

Absolutely. It's just women bashing other women, v sad indeed.

@SurreyHillsGirl yep, if you know anything about handbags it's very conspicuous.

Caroline Bingley I think the same about people who drive flashy cars, male or female,

And men who spend loads of money on trainers and labels, also idiots

@CarolineBingley

Imagine a bloke has a luxury car which brings him great joy. I wouldn’t imagine other men would accuse him of trying to look wealthy because he drives this car. Far from it. Nor would he be accused of being vulnerable or pathetic for having this car. Nor would someone suggest that he is vulnerable to be creative predators who prey on him because he is a weak willed man. Nor would there be an assumption that he couldn’t afford the car.

I am genuinely curious. Why are these accusations repeatedly hurled at women about bags?

You have obviously never been on Pistonheads. Arguments about cars, watches and stupid number plates of exactly this type abound there.

I don’t believe that most posters actually believe the LV bags that they see are fake. They just want it to be fake because it makes them feel better about not being able to afford one.
I am not a great fan of LV, but I don’t assume they are fake if I see someone carrying one.
Tbh, I think that even if people think it’s fake, the person carrying a real LV know it’s real and that’s what makes them feel great.

@areyoubeingserviced

I don’t believe that most posters actually believe the LV bags that they see are fake. They just want it to be fake because it makes them feel better about not being able to afford one. I am not a great fan of LV, but I don’t assume they are fake if I see someone carrying one. Tbh, I think that even if people think it’s fake, the person carrying a real LV know it’s real and that’s what makes them feel great.

Anyone who’s seen the number of LV fakes on sale in any market in a European resort is likely to think they’re fake. I certainly do. And I’m not buying the “I can spot a fake a mile off” schtik either.

@Mangofandangoo

Every time I see someone with one I automatically assume it's fake 😕

Ditto