Chanel Classic Chevron Flap-Bag Review

A reader recently sent in her latest fake bag review and I must say, this is by far the best replica Chanel classic chevron bag I've seen in a while. Beautiful stitching, smooth leather and not many visible differences from the real Chanel classic.

She purchased this beauty from a replica designer bags store in Dubai, however, she refused to disclose the location seeing that purchasing replica handbags is illegal and Dubai has been cracking down on the sales of these items a lot recently.

The only visible concern here is the chain. The real Chanel classic bag chains are heavy and plated... the replica bags almost always miss this and instead use cheap metal. Although I haven't felt the bag, I can immediately tell that the chains are cheaply made, which is so unfortunate (especially for the high price she paid: 500 USD)

Just a note before I start, although I do not condone the purchase of replica designer items, I do understand that people will buy them anyway, regardless of its illegality. This blog post aims to help people avoid getting ripped off, not to promote buying replica designer goods.

What do you think of this replica handbag? And where do you stand on the issue of buying fake bags?

Designer Spot Light: Megan Auman

I recently stumbled upon a fabulous new jewelry designer: Megan Auman. If you're not following her on Instagram you are seriously missing out!

Her designs are unique, classy with a little bit of edge. I am also digging her jewelry promotion abilities. It's very creative and mixes my two favorite things: food and jewelry!

To learn more about this awesome woman, click here: http://bit.ly/1Frcicv.

The Ultimate Jewelry Gallery from the 2015 Emmy Awards

I was so bummed the Emmys air at 4AM in the Middle East and I would miss it! Watching the recaps or the when it re-airs at 7PM Dubai time is just not the same! I spent hours searching the web for a recap of the jewelry at the 2015 Emmy Awards or at least high res images and managed to compile thee ultimate gallery. So without further ado,  here are the best of the best from last night's show...

Emma Roberts - Marin Katz Jewelry - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Emma Roberts - Marin Katz Jewelry - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Gina Rodriguez - Lavalier Dubai Jewelry

Heidi Klum - Lorraine Shwartsz - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Heidi Klum - Lorraine Shwartsz - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Jamie Lee Curtis - LavalierDubai Jewelry

January Jones - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Kat Deely - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Laverne Cox - Fred Leighton Jewelry - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Laverne Cox - Fred Leighton Jewelry - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Lena Heady - Harry Kotlar Jewelry - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Maggie Gyllenhaal -  LavalierDubai Jewelry

Mindy Kaling - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Natasha Lyonne - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Padma Lakshmi - Fred Leighton - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Ramona Keveza - Jacob and Co. - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Sarah Hyland - Lorraine Shwartz - Ofira - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Sofia Vergara - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Sofia Vergara - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Taraji P Henson - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Taryn Manning - LavalierDubai Jewelry

Uzo Aduba - LavalierDubai Jewelry

The Fendi 'Be' Baguette Cross-body Replica Review (2015topluxuryhandbags.com)

Just opened up my emails (after a looooong time) and found a reader submitted review! So exciting when people share their experiences with online shopping so that others can benefit from it.

Our dear reader, who chose to be anonymous, shopped at a Chinese replica handbag site now located on this domain name: 2015topluxuryhandbags.com. The reason I say it's now located there is because this site regularly changes their domain to avoid being prosecuted and shut down by brands like Chanel or Michael Kors.

Just a note before I start, although I do not condone the purchase of replica designer items, I do understand that people will buy them anyway, regardless of its illegality. This blog post aims to help people avoid getting ripped off, not to promote buying replica designer goods.

"Dear Lavalier,

I was looking for Fendi 'Be' Baguette Cross-body Replica and couldn't afford the hefty price tag... for some reason, the good people at Fendi think a small, leather cross body should cost 3,000 USD! Which is ridiculous! So I decided to go the replica route and I searched everywhere online but couldn't find the exact one I was looking for (beige color, gold hardware). Then I stumbled upon 2015topluxuryhandbags.com. I was terrified at first because it's in China and there were no prior reviews online. But I needed that bag so I took a leap and I am so glad I did so! Check out my awesome bag!!! This picture was taken after I wore it around for a year! It's the best bag I've ever owned and held up pretty well even though I used it almost daily for a year.

Here's my detailed experience with 2015topluxuryhandbags.com. First, I wanted to see if they were legit so I made a small purchase of about 129 USD + 60 USD fast shipping just to be sure they're not robbing me blind. It was a Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene Canvas Trevi PM. The idea is that I would rather lose 189 USD than 349 USD (which is what the 'Be' Baguette costs on their site).

I spoke to the customer service and they answered pretty quickly, however, when I asked if I can see up-close pics of the bag, they refused. They can only show me pictures of the real bag once I placed my order. I thought that was shady and annoying but I went along none the less (I obviously really wanted that Fendi!)

I placed the order using my credit card because they don't have a PayPal option, which in my opinion is the safest way to transact online. They assured me it was safe and I went ahead.

A few hours later, they sent me pic of my real LV but it was really blurry and I wasn't able to see how good a quality it was. When I asked for me detailed pics, they refused. And now I know why... the LV was TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, AWFUL!

I have never seen such an atrocious looking bag. I wish I had pics, but I deleted them a few months ago and I actually gave the bag away to my house keeper. 

It was a poor quality bag and to make things worse, they forgot to include the strap. So I emailed them about it and they asked me to check inside the bag like I'm some sort of an idiot. I told them it wasn't there so they shipped out a new one to the same address. I never got it. 

The whole bad quality/missing strap fiasco should have put me off but I am not a quitter LOL. I made the Fendi purchase and it arrived a 10 - 12 days later, right on my door step. I paid the 60 USD extra so that I can get it before I was to travel on vacation.

The Fendi is wonderful and exactly as pictured! 

Overall, I would make another purchase and they did send me 2 or 3 emails about getting my strap. I would just stay away from their LV selection. And I would always go for the more expensive option... it's expensive for a reason.

Hope you liked the review!"

Thanks so much for this! Really helpful! These are the real images of the bag and yours is spot on! I can't see a single difference.

If you have a review to share, do send it to me at lavalierdubai@gmail.com.

Spring Time Happiness: The Floral Trend on the Red Carpet

Aren't we all glad winter is finally over?! No more over-sized sweaters, prickly scarves and chunky boots. Finally, we can go back to pastels, linens and open-toed shoes.

Spring time has also hit the red carpet. Check out the latest celebrities rocking the floral trend.

Alexa Chung in Miu Miu (Are those legs for real?! Eat something, jesus!)

Eva Mendes in New York & Company (Love everything except the headband... looks like a maid about to clean the balcony)

Kiernan Shipka in Dolce & Gabbana (the little annoying and bratty older child from Mad Men cleans up nice!)

Lupita Nyong'o in Christian Dior (Her face is glowing!! Very nice... Dress sucks!)

Katy Perry in Vivian Westwood (Hair = No!, Dress = Yes, Boobs = Yes, Eyes = "I just smoked some ganja in the limo")

What do you guys think of the floral trend... Let us know in the comments section below!

Real Vs. Fake: Chanel Classic Flap-Bag

I've gotten some great responses about my Real vs. Fake posts. Most people will look at sites like Ebay, Souq and Dubizzle to purchase pre-loved bags but often can't authenticate them. They would want to know if they are paying thousands of Dirhams for the real deal, or a bad knock-off.

So, I decided to write a blog post on how to spot a faux Chanel, which is by far one of the most replicated bags out there and people WILL try to sell knock offs and pass it off as the real deal.

I will start off with my favorite Chanel: The classic caviar or lambskin flap-bag with cross stitching and with silver/gold hardware.

Authentic

According to this thread on the Purse Blog Forum, the flap-bag comes in 3 sizes: 

Small - 9"W x 5.5"L x 2"D
Medium - 10"W x 6"L x 2.5"D
Jumbo - 12"W x 8"L x 3"D

Sizes are vital because it's a dead giveaway in a fake bag.

The white Chanel below is 10" W, 6"L, 2.75" Depth. It's amazing... but the most shocking part is how much she paid for it back in 2006: 5,800 Dirhams or 1,595USD! If you visit the Chanel boutiques now (2014), you'll be lucking to get a measly Wallet-on-Chain for that amount.

Just a quick note here: I would NEVER buy a white bag... especially not a Chanel! First off, you can only wear it in the summer. And secondly, it gets so dirty so quickly. I  had a white Fendi once and was holding it above my elbow... My jeans (although they weren't cheap!) rubbed off and absolutely ruined it. I still don't wear it to this day. In my humble opinion, when you're paying that much, you're better off buying a black or dark color. 

Caviar, Silver Hardware

Lamb Skin, Gold Hardware

Patent Leather, Silver Hardware

Side View of Jumbo, Medium and Small

A real Chanel's stitching is impeccable and symmetrical

Replica

Researching this blog post made me realize that it's getting harder and harder to authenticate Chanels because of how well the Chinese are making them. But because I have seen so many real and faux bags in my lifetime, there are some giveaways.

I got the below pictures from TopLuxuryBag2014. If the link is broken, it's because Chanel probably shut it down for selling fakes.

The Differences

From far, both the authentic and the replica look identical. But the devil is in the details:

• The grains of the fake caviar bags protrude while the real are flattened and larger 
• Even if the bag is an A+ replica, the zippers are always a give it away. The zipper lining should be straight, not crooked. Also, the zipper clasp can sometimes be a piece of leather rather than a metal clasp. That does not mean it's a fake. However, how that piece of leather looks/feels is important. 

Use this picture as a handy tool:

• As mentioned before, replicas are almost NEVER the same size as the original. 
• Stitching: Take this as a rule of thumb: Real = High Stitch Count, Fake = Low Stitch Count. And, as the image above shows... the stitches is impeccable and in a straight line.
• Hardware: the right C in the CC logo should be over the left. Newer Chanels do not have a stamp on the left C. Also, the bag strap should be heavy. I've seen fake bags where the chain is really cheap-looking and light.

Now, it's your turn! Let us know how you detect a fake Chanel in the comments section below. Also, if you have review you can share it with us in the comments below!