Reading blogs in the Fashion and Beauty niche, it does not take much of a search to come across the topic of Dupes – reasonably (high street) priced imitations of designer goods which, at full cost, would be out of the reach of an average shopper. Whilst to many the idea of knock off products might bring back memories of market stalls selling poorly stitched “Calvin Klassics” bearing a logo suspiciously similar to Calvin Klein’s, the modern Dupe is a much more upmarket affair – something which is highlighted by the fact that they are carried in high street stores rather than sold, almost exclusively, from car boots.

   Instead of simply being a shoddily put together sweatshop rip-off, Dupes are, for the most part, well manufactured versions of iconic designs which usually look incredibly similar to the style they are aping. So, for example, those looking for Christian Louboutin heels worth up to £500 can find a pair of very decent shoes (produced with the same pattern) on the high street for less than a tenth of this price. This bears the question – if Dupes are so convincing, and designer brands so much more expensive, why would anyone ever bother with the pricier version if the differences are minimal? If Dupes are convincing to the average eye, why would anyone ever plump for up-market equivalents again?

   The answer, of course, does indeed boil down to quality. Whilst those purchasing Johnny Brubacker goods from market stalls are not going to fool the average layman into believing their garments are authentic Tommy Hilfiger items, those who try on Dupes are not going to fool themselves into believing they are sporting designer clobber either. Whilst a Dupe may, superficially, appear not too dissimilar to designer goods on an aesthetic level, the sheer quality of the two items, in terms of material, feel and durability, are polemic poles apart. In passing, some of the Dupes may appear impressive but, when placed side by side with the real item, it becomes obvious, more often than not, why the original item charges so much more than the knock off aside from brand name value. It is easy to see which item comes from a reputable company such as Stuarts London and which comes from a Sunday afternoon car boot sale instead.

   One of the best ways to ascertain the better quality is to simply try the two items on. So, if one was to first of all try on a pair of Paul Smith Jeans and then instantly change into a pair of Dupes the FEEL of the two items would be instantly obvious – the latter would not fit as well in terms of tailoring, and the quality of the former would shine when it comes to touch. So, although the latter may have a passing resemblance to the pair of jeans they are trying to ape, this is as far as similarities will go.

   So, to answer an earlier question, why should one bother with full priced designer gear when they can get items that look similar for a fraction of the price? The answer all depends on occasion and purpose. If someone is looking for a pair of Dupes to wear once, to impress in passing, or even for an OOTD post on their blog, this makes perfect sense – spending a much larger figure would be ludicrous. However, with designer wear, the items are much more impressive in person (particularly when noted by someone with an eye for quality of design) and the garments will also last much longer too having been tailored to the finest degree. In some ways, then, Dupes, for the most part, represent something of a Band Aid fix – great short term solutions but, if you’re wanting to be on top of the style game for the long run, it’s definitely worth considering the real thing!

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