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!

Real vs. Fake: Fendi 2Jours Petite Leather Shopper

Great news! It's replica bag review time. One of our lovely readers sent us some pictures of her brand new replica Fendi 2Jours Petite Leather Shopper. Now, we can see what the fake one looks like when compared to the real deal.

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. I also know that people want to buy authentic bags on sites like Ebay or Souq.com but can't differentiate a replica from an authentic products. This blog post aims to help people avoid getting ripped off, not to promote buying replica designer goods.

Let's get started with the facts. Here are the specs of the authentic 2Jours:
Signature style in a petite Italian saffiano leather silhouette with logo hardware and lining.

• Double top handles, 4.25" drop
• Detachable adjustable shoulder strap, 21"-23" drop
• Snap strap closure
• Two inner compartments
• One inside zip pocket
• Fully lined
• 10"W X 8"H X 4½"D
• Made in Italy
• It's available in 6 colors: Barely (Beige), Black, Cobalt Blue (the IT color of the season!), Grey, Pink and Poppy (Orange)
• Price: 7,000 AED ($1,907) 

Here are some up close pictures, taken from Saks Fifth Avenue's page:

Now, on to the faux Fendi. Here are the pictures shared by an awesome LavalierDubai reader who chose to stay anonymous.

According to her email, the reader actually visited the Fendi store after purchasing the bag and found very few differences. Judging for her pictures, although they are a bit low-res, I have to agree! This bag is spot on!

Let's look at some of the differences:

• The Fendi logo on the upper right hand corner of the replica bag is in a bold font while the authentic is significantly thinner. Same goes for the Fendi logo on the tag.
• The tag on the replica is much longer than that of the authentic, which is a huge giveaway.
• I asked our fan to measure the dimensions of the bag and she found that the width and height are exactly as the authentic, however, the double top handles drop at 6.5" rather than 4.25". In terms of girth, the authentic and replica look pretty much the same. 
• It seems that the snap strap closure is waaaaay crooked! For me, this is a dead giveaway but luckily, this is inside of the bag so it is not too noticeable.

Now, it's your turn! What do you think of this replica bag or the replica industry in general? Share your thought below.

Got a bag review you would like to share? Email me lavalierdubai@gmail.com.