I BOUGHT A DESIGNER DUPE!!!
I have never bought a designer handbag dupe in my life. Well, at least not until last Saturday. Did I have a temperature? Not that I was aware of. Was I under the influence? As the boring, sensible one who tends to stop at one JD and coke on a night out, I highly doubt it. So what on earth possessed me to buy my first ever designer dupe?
I am not one of those Instagram sensations with a wardrobe full of Chanel bags in every colour of the rainbow (I wish). However, that said, I do have a nicely formed and compact handbag collection that I adore dearly. To quote my Husband’s manager Alan Niven:
‘I want a selection not a collection’.
Granted, he said that in relation to guitars (no, Alan Niven is not a closet handbag enthusiast), but nevertheless, these words have become my moto by which I live my life (and fill my closest). For this reason, I allow myself one luxury handbag splurge every 12 to 16 months. In February 2018 it was the Balenciaga Graffiti Classic City bag. In autumn 2017 it was the Saint Laurent Sac de Jour. The time before that? A Mulberry Bayswater. You get the picture. Still giddy with excitement from my recent Graffiti City purchase, I wasn’t really in the market for another designer handbag. Or even casually browsing or window shopping for that matter; my handbag needs for the next 12 months had been well and truly satiated. So image my surprise when I found myself in the independent boutique Ruby Woo in the swanky West End of Glasgow, stopped dead in my tracks by this vision of beauty with an unexpected price tag of little over £30. The quality of the bag, structure and weight of the chain were completely at odds to the price. Granted, the bag was made of plastic, but I could live with that, particularly because here was a bag that I could take to my husband’s gigs or music festivals and not panic every time a unruly cigarette or tottering pint of Guinness came anywhere near me. I therefore happily handed over my cash and walked away with my very first designer dupe.
The bag in question was a Gucci Dionysus ‘inspired’ bag. Aside from this representing a bag that I could happy use and abuse with little worry, what tempted me to actually buy a designer dupe? Well, the answer is that Gucci has never really represented a designer brand that I’ve had even the vaguest bit of prior interest in. Now, let me first preface this statement with an apology to anyone who I may offend with what I am about to say: I have never been a lover of the great Italian Fashion Houses: Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Dolce and Gabbana etc. Instead preferring my French (Saint Laurent, Chanel, Givenchy, Celine, Hermès), British (Alexander McQueen, JW Anderson, Vivienne Westwood) and, on occasions, American (Alexander Wang) designers. The Dionysus was therefore not even a bag that was really in my subconscious, although I was vaguely aware of the 70s inspired monogrammed version; a design completely opposed to my personal aesthetic and one that would not integrate easily or willingly into my current wardrobe. However, my designer dupe in black has me completely spellbound. So spellbound am I, that I actually went into my local Gucci store for the first time ever (!) just to find out more about the real deal. Not only did it not disappoint, it went far above and beyond my expectations. Very rarely have I seen a designer handbag where I think the quality and craftsmanship is worth the price tag. But I say this with 100% honesty and conviction - the Gucci Dionysus is the most beautifully crafted and highest quality handbag that I have ever held in my hand; from the structure, to the weight, to the buttery soft leather lining. Everything about this bag exudes pure perfection.
Whilst many people will argue that designer dupes are detrimental to the designer in questions (and this is a view that I had previously shared), it is thanks to my designer dupe that Gucci is finally on my fashion radar. Not only that, but I now must own the real thing. And my current surge in EBay and Vestiaire Collective listings is testament to how serious and I devoted I am to adding the Gucci Dionysus to my ‘selection’.
Lucy xx
The best places for designer-inspired handbags:
Ruby Woo Boutique
Penelope Rose Boutique
Style of Beyond





