Made in Italy, Made in France, some brands wear the lying pants

It's time for our very first reality check. I am a firm advocate of the luxury industry, however, in the recent months I have become aware of the not so flattering practices of some Luxury moguls--including the highly coveted Chanel classic flip bag. Its no secret that Mr. Lagerfield reinvented the fashion house and made it new, modern, and hip. Let's face it, just about everyone wants this bag.

I was recently able to visit the manufacturer of this iconic bag. The Italian company is just outside Florence and also produces for Nina Ricci. Chanel outsources the last stage of production to this company. You can believe me when I say I was heart-broken to walk into a warehouse filled with patchwork lambskin stacked high and perfectly cut into pieces. The company can pop out nearly 5,000 bags a month. How do they do this? Not by hand, but by machine--in THREE hours! In fact the only part made by hand is the stitching of the handles. Crazy, I know. Lesson learned.

My suggestion is to wait for the celeb hype to calm down and purchase a vintage. Before the 90's there was such a thing as hand made, and most companies valued it.