A genuine faux pas

When it comes to handbags and shoes, I am a leather purist. There. I said it. There’s no going back for me now. Oh sure, like anyone, I’ve been guilty of succumbing to the temptation of the all too cheap and accessible imitations. Go on. You can admit it. We’ve all got that ugly skeleton in our closet. The super cute clutch or adorable pair of Mary Janes that, at $19.95, we just couldn’t resist. It’s okay. No-one’s perfect. But while you won’t broadcast that you’re wearing PVU, you don’t go telling anyone it’s leather either.

At least that’s what I thought. It appears I was wrong. On a recent expedition to find the handbag to end all handbags – one that I can take from uni to work to book week parades at school to dinner with SuperGeek hubby – I found that there is an elite group of faux leathers that come not only with an alarmingly high price tag, but a disturbingly disillusioned marketing ploy.

Yes ladies, there’s a new kid in town. It’s Genuine Faux Leather. Oh no, this is not that fake faux leather that distasteful chain stores stock, oh no! This is bonafide, boutique style, $400 price tag GENUINE faux leather. I kid you not.

How does one know if one is lustfully stroking a genuine faux leather accessory as opposed to some other kind? The smell? Nope – just as toxic and plastic as the next faux. The feel? Nope – still makes your fillings want to jump out of your mouth when you scrape it with a fingernail. Well, clearly, one must look for the tag. Oh, and the price point.

As attractive as the prospect of shelling out for the ‘real thing’ was, I’m an old fashioned girl and settled on a delightful and traditional leather bag at less than half the price of it’s genuine faux leather counterpart.

It may not carry the status of Genuine Faux Leather, but at least I don’t have the blood of genuine faux cows on my hands.