Fake Purse Ninja

I saw a girl carrying a really bad fake Prada bag last night. Thankfully, I don’t see a lot of faux bags anymore, but I decided to dig this article out of the KK archives to remind the world just how bad fake designer bags are - and give a few tips in case you're trying to buy the real thing.

One cannot help but notice the proliferation of so-called "status" bags all throughout the country. What was once an indulgence set aside for ladies of wealth, the designer label handbag has seen its stock take a tumble in recent years.

Many women see no problem with having one or more knockoff bags in their closet. I take issue with this. Not because I am or will ever be a "purse snob" - if such a thing exists - but because fakes have caused the value - both real and perceived - of high-end goods to drop such an extent.

I don't even have a desire to buy a status bag because it would most likely be seen as just another fake, even it I had paid $1800 for it and it came right from inside the locked glass counter at Neiman Marcus. I would have to carry the receipt around and wave it in everyone's face so they would know it was real!

Wouldn't THAT defeat the purpose of an elegant, high quality designer bag??

I will admit that some of my friends carry decent knockoffs and I've even been to a fake purse party (shame on KK!!) but did not indulge (good KK!!)

I’ve even been to a secret back room on Canal Street (the place for buying the best to the worst designer knockoffs) and saw some darn good fakes.

Like all major purchases, if you are going to buy a luxury bag, be sure to do your homework on what you are buying before you plunk down a big chunk of change. Be aware of counterfeiters' shortcuts and watch out for scams.

So let's become "Fake Purse Ninjas" (anyone remember the movie Bowfinger??) and blow their cover!

How to Spot a Fake Bag

1. Know the Products

Sure, most status bags have easily-seen logos. Yes, when you see an "LV" logo, you're probably looking at a Louis Vuitton or a knockoff. That isn't the challenge. Flip through the pages of Vogue or Harpers Bazaar to check out the designers' ads or even read InStyle to see what the celebrities are carrying.

You don't think any celeb would be caught with a fake, do you? Look at the bags close up. Even better, go fantasy shopping and actually feel what a real(ly) expensive bag feels like. There is a palpable difference. You can feel the quality.

It is estimated that 99% of all Louis Vuitton branded goods in the world are fake!

Ironically, the iconic Louis Vuitton emblem was created in the late 19th century to deter counterfeiters!

2. The Materials

A cheap Canal Street (or fake purse party) knockoff will very likely be of suspect craftsmanship. To buy a real designer bag means paying big bucks for the name, but behind that name is true quality craftsmanship.

There shouldn't be puckered leather or imperfect stitching - ever - on a true designer bag. These are works of art and crafted in a way that we don't usually see in our "Made in China" world.

3. The Details

Doesn't everything always boil down to the little things? Zippers, lining, hardware, and trimmings will be heavier and distinct on a true designer item.

Certain Louis Vuitton bags even have antique hardware. The finer points will be more distinct. Bags will be lined with elegant fabrics you don't see in knockoffs.

On a high quality item, the "only you know it's there" details are what set apart the real deal from all the rest.

4. The Certificate of Authenticity

Finally, a quality bag comes with proof from the manufacturer that what you are buying is truly what you think you are buying.

Since so many bags are being sold on the secondhand market, such as ebay, expect for a true luxury bag to come with proof of its veracity. Naturally, counterfeiters are at least one step ahead of everyone else. So be aware that even a fake bag may come with a certificate.

Secret Style: Accent Your Eyes

One of my favorite parts of having this cache of style know-how is that I get to share it with all of you. I love, love, love these little tricks - they are super simple and fly way under the radar so that no one can figure out exactly what you're up to that makes you look so amazing.

Today's secret is to wear your eye color.

You can actually accentuate and intensify the color of your eyes by wearing something close to your face (a necklace, scarf, tie, etc) that closely mimics your eye color.

Not only will you receive more compliments, but you can look more alert and vibrant if you're giving a presentation or going for an interview. Or if you're in the sales arena - especially for you jewelry designers out there, this is a selling strategy that will have immediate impact for your customer - and it might even help you sell more stuff!

Here's how to do it:

Women

Invest in a beautiful necklace with a semi-precious stone or wear beads or a pendant that matches the color of your eyes.

I have pale green eyes – though most people assume they’re blue. When I wear one of my green necklaces – bought specifically to enhance my eye color – the green gets noticed a lot more!

Some of my green necklaces:

Look at all the individual colors in your eyes close-up in a mirror. Ladies with brown-eyes will see auburn, tan, green, rose brown, gold, etc. When I look at my own eyes, I see green, yellow, gold, aqua, blue, and even light brown! It’s like a stained glass window.

Pick one or more of those colors in a bold piece and wear it near your face for an immediate lift!

Men

A lot of blue-eyed guys buy French blue shirts because they love how ithe color makes their eyes “pop”. (They also like the female attention they receive because of this!) I suggest wearing a tie that is the same as your eye color. I recommend seeking out a plain satin tie or a tone-on-tone stripe or pattern. Let the color speak for itself!

Another trick

Wear the complimentary shade of your eye color for a different kind of impact. Remember the color wheel? The complimentary shade resides directly across from your eye color.

Brown - Purple/Lavender

Blue - Orange & Gold

Green - Reds & Pinks

Hazel (amber) - Blue, lavender, purple

Hazel (green) - Plum or wine

No one will know what you're up to and why you look so extra fabulous, and that's why it's our little secret!

Spice up your Wardrobe with Prints

A couple of years ago, I realized how boring my wardrobe had become. I had precious few patterns in my closet, but those that I had, I wore quite often.

Several patterns I didn't feel were "right" and they quickly wrote their own ticket out of my closet. I looked at the patterns I wore the most to see what they all had in common and tried to figure out why I felt great and looked good in them.

I realized all the patterns shared one trait - they all contained beige or yellow. They worked with my coloring because I am a champagne blonde. It's all about harmony - my hair color was repeated in the patterns I wore.

I started using this new tactic, and you know what? I started buying (and more importantly, wearing) interesting patterns! My closet isn't boring anymore!!

Most of us appreciate a rule of thumb so we are assured that what we buy will look great on us. Fortunately, this concept works for everyone - whether male or female, and regardless of hair color - brown, red, black, gray, or blonde.

A pattern will generally work on you if your hair color is repeated in it. I think that's why leopard print is perpetually 'in'. It contains so many of our hair colors - blonde, light and dark brown, white, and black. And redheads can wear it because it's in their color palette!

A few more tricks for wearing prints:

The 80/20 Rule
This is for anyone who has attended one of my color events. For best results, when you buy prints, make sure 80% of the colors in the print are from your own palette. The other 20% can be any color in the spectrum. Remember, it's all about creating harmony!

Filling Your Closet
The easiest way to incorporate prints is to use the following list in descending order:
1. Stripes
2. Plaids
3. Checks
4. Dots
5. Abstracts
6. Florals*
*A quick note - be careful with florals in the professional world - they can undermine your credibility

Mimic your face and body shape
If your facial features are on the angular side with dramatic high cheekbones, a square jawline, or thin lips, and you are tall and/or slender, opt for bold, geometric patterns.

If you have softer features and are more curvy, choose soft or rounded prints, like paisley, swirls, and abstract florals.

A mishmash of prints from my very own closet: clothes, bags, shoes, scarves

I'm on the softer, curvier side, so I select patterns that are more rounded, leafy, or swirly - nothing too angular or with hard edges.

Mixing Patterns
Guys do it all the time - a pinstripe suit, striped shirt, polka dot tie. Women, on the other hand, are generally afraid to mix patterns for fear of looking silly, I suppose. I do it quite a bit and I can assure you I don't look silly. I will pair striped or plaid pants with abstract print shirts or jackets.

A few tricks to making this look work:

1. Don't combine more than 2 patterns - unless you are going for a very fashion forward look

2. Items must have at least 2 colors in common

3. Make sure the prints are different proportions - for instance, herringbone (a very tight pattern)
and a large print brocade jacket can work well together if you follow all the other rules

4. Mixing patterns mandates toned-down accessories

Hey Guys! ESPN Knows It. Do You?

I bet something like this has happened to you:

Your wife or girlfriend tells you that you need some new clothes. You go shopping to appease her. You walk out of the dressing room wearing what you think is a perfectly good outfit, but when she sees you, her face contorts into a look of disgust the likes of which you have never seen before.

Hey wait a minute! You are there because SHE insists you buy new clothes. What’s the deal?

Well, guys, there is a secret to this clothes thing that most men don’t know. And most women instinctively know, whether they realize it or not.

The colors and patterns you wear can either wear YOU or YOU can overpower them if you aren’t careful in your selection. The ideal is to create a balance between your personal coloring – your hair, skin and eye color – and the colors you are wearing.

This is a technique used masterfully by the wardrobe stylists at ESPN. They dress such a variety of skin tones – for the camera, which is extremely difficult - and they make everyone look marvelous. (My heart goes out to John Kruk – I don’t know a wardrobe expert alive who could make that poor guy look better!)

Here’s how it works:

We are all born with a God-given set of traits. One of these is our coloring. We’re not going to focus on whether you are brown-haired, salt-and-pepper, black-haired or a redhead. Or what your eye color is. Instead we are going to focus on working with the contrast level you were born with – this means how your eye color, hair color, and skin tone work together and how they relate to the clothing you choose.

In the example below, the colors the model is wearing on the left are too washed out for his medium coloring and dark hair. In this case, the anemic outfit looks blah and fades into the background because it has no visual interest (i.e., color contrast) to strike a balance with his coloring.

In the picture to the right, there is a much better balance between the model’s features and what he’s wearing (a combination of light and dark). This is the visual harmony to look for when you are getting dressed.

Below, I have used three models: Daniel Craig is the example of Low Contrast Light – he has blonde hair, light skin and blue eyes. Taye Diggs is Low Contrast Deep – because of his deeper skin tone, hair, and eye color. Despite the fact that they are both low contrast, you can see there is quite a difference between the clothing the two would select to flatter them.

Our last example is Danny Ocean, George Clooney. He is a phenomenal example of a High Contrast male. He has dark hair and eyes and considerably lighter skin. There is a reason he looks so good in a tux. His coloring naturally favors high contrast ensembles like black and white.

It is important to note that if chosen unwisely, the colors, contrast and patterns you wear can be at worst visually distracting – hurting the viewer’s eye - or they can even make you look pale and unhealthy!

By keeping color combinations and contrast levels that flatter you close to your face, you will be able to create a sense of balance between you and your clothes. The human eye is attracted to this kind ovisual harmony and it will make you more attractive to current and potential clients and to the opposite sex as well!

Keep in mind that as we age, we lose pigmentation not only in our hair (going gray), but our skin and eyes fade too. As you start to become more “distinguished”, the colors you wear should get a little lighter as well – as if you’re gently and slowly moving closer to the lighter colors that Daniel Craig wears so well.

Can you see yourself in one of these examples? Or are you a combination of two? You may very well be.

My Life in the Closet

Random thoughts about women and their clothes

I've been at this a long time, friends, and every time I am in a closet, I learn a new insight or some piece of knowledge I already have is reinforced. Here are some of my observations and several truths about women, closets and shopping. You just might see yourself somewhere in here...

A woman's closet is a glimpse into her psyche. Cluttered closet, cluttered mind.

Receiving clothing as gifts is not a gift at all if you don't like them and won't wear them.

I don't know any woman who doesn't rely too much on black.

Buying the best quality you can afford beats out a bunch of cheap items any day.

A good tailor is your wardrobe's best friend. Also know how to sew a hem and do emergency repairs - I'm working on this myself.

The shades of watermelon, mint and teal blue look great on pretty much anyone.

Never underestimate wearing the right underwear - every outfit you own may require a different strategy!

Do you want people to compliment you or your outfit? There's a huge difference!

Fashion and style are contradictory terms.

Understanding what colors and contrast levels work for you is the first step in controlling your closet.

Dress appropriately for your climate. I am asked about turtlenecks all the time. Yes, they are okay if you live in Cleveland, ladies!

Most women want to look younger and hipper, but all say they don't want to look too young, trendy or silly (of course!).

So many women are challenged by shopping for jeans. If you can't find the right pair, set aside a couple of hours to shop only for denim. Odds are, you will find a great pair or two.

Every woman can wear red and yellow. The shade is all that matters.

Try on designer clothing (including jeans) and items that are out of your budget. Understanding how well-made clothes feel and fit will help you make better purchases in your price range.

Musings from a Sole Diva

Give a girl the correct footwear and she can conquer the world.

- Bette Midler

What is it with women and shoes, anyway? Have you ever wondered why we are attracted to and feel compelled to purchase so many of them? Is it our womanly right to have as many shoes as we desire (or can afford)? Why are the words ‘women’ and ‘shoes’ forever linked in infamy? And why do men need 3 only pairs of shoes when the correct number for women is infinity? Am I the only person who thinks of such things? Probably, but indulge me anyway! Let’s take a peek at why, intentionally or unintentionally, every woman channels her own inner Imelda Marcos.

If the Shoe Fits…
Unlike men’s clothing, women’s clothing sizes are inconsistent and all over the place. What may be a size 6 in one designer may be a size 8 in another. There is no consistent method used for creating women’s clothing, and we all are shaped differently. What happens when you think you are a size 10 but instead a 12 fits because of the designer you selected? It doesn’t make you feel good, does it? If you’re like the rest of us, you probably feel disappointed, your self image is shaken, and you may want to rush into a crash diet, right?

For whatever reason, we internalize our clothing size, beating ourselves up if we aren’t the size we think we should be. Feeling rejected, we may find ourselves in the shoe department. Here, if we try on a pair that is a little snug, chances are we won’t have a full-on identity crisis like we did in the fitting room, right ladies? We just go up a half-size. We think of this as the manufacturer’s problem, not our issue. Problem solved - and another pair finds its way into in our closet.

Shoe Therapy
I happen to think that there are two things that never reject women – food and shoes. We use both for comfort and as positive reinforcement. Not that either is particularly healthy for us. I would rather have a smokin’ pair of strappy stilettos over a piece of cheesecake any day, but different women use different diversions to get through tough times. A relationship gone bad, issues with friends, and strife at work all seem to be lessened with a little momentary splurge.

But when you come down from the high from your funky new Marc Jacobs wedges or when the sugar rush wears off, you’re still left with a problem that isn’t remedied. So the diversion of buying new shoes or indulging in some serious caloric intake won’t make the challenges of real world go away. It just lessens the impact for an hour or two. Problem not solved – but somehow we still end up with more shoes.

The Shoe Collection
Psychological factors aside, there happen to be legitimate reasons why we seem to require a lot of shoes. We have a vast array of clothing needs that are very different from men. While traditionally, guys have the option of wearing pants most of the time, or shorts sometimes, women need different shoes for pants, capris, short skirts, long skirts, casual styles, dressy styles, and the list can go on and on. We need specific shoes and heel heights for our diverse wardrobe. Not to mention basic colors and accent colors, and different shoes for the cold and warm seasons! What does this turn into?

A wardrobe full of shoes, of course! Problem solved?? Fortunately, we are limited by budget and space, and eventually one or the other will run out!

KK's TRUE SHOE CONFESSIONS
Here’s some stuff I’m not too proud of, but feel I need to get off my chest….

1. I buy knockoff shoes
Yes, this is the same person who said don’t, under any circumstances, buy a fake bag! A knockoff shoe merely means that a style a famous maker created is produced with a slight variation in style and typically, with less expensive materials. You would be surprised how many high-end and low-end shoes are made in the very same factory, but the label makes all the difference in the price point! On frivolous shoe purchases, such as the 4” faux pony hair leopard peeptoe Steve Madden knockoffs I bought, I spend as little as possible. Shoes like this will spend most of their shelf life in your closet, so I would advise skimping on fun accent shoes such as these.

2. I don’t care what my shoes are made of
I’m a vegetarian - almost a vegan. Have been since I was a kid. But I will buy almost any kind of animal skin or fur to wear on my feet without thinking twice! They just have to be cute. (Next thing I know, PETA will be aiming buckets of paint at my feet!) I don’t care to own a leather coat, I would never wear real fur, but basically I would wear endangered snow leopard cub fur-lined boots if they looked cute enough.

(I am joking, of course. I would never wear endangered snow leopard cub fur! But I do have a couple of non-endangered skins and hairs that I’m not too proud of as a bona fide veg – sorry! I assure you they are really cute though!!)

3. I buy quantity over quality
There are 5 Basic Shoe Styles that every woman should have in her closet. This is where to be sure to buy quality since these are your workhorses and should last for several seasons.

1) Tall black or brown boots 2) Basic sneakers 3) Flats or loafers 4) Basic black stiletto pumps and 5) Strappy metallic sandals.

Once the basics are taken care of, I’m all about quantity, quantity, quantity!! The more shoes, the merrier!!! (Yes, I have a problem – but at least my feet always look good!!)

***

It’s funny that almost every guy I meet thinks his woman is the only one with a truckload of shoes. I assure them that while yes, we all love shoes (some of us more than others), the clothing that we wear necessitates at least seven pairs of black heels (I am such an enabler!) as well as various combinations of boots, sandals, flats, wedges, platforms, mules, etc, etc.

I tell them that we need our shoes because they complete our outfits. What I don’t mention is that in some bizarre cosmic way they may also complete us.