Were you aware that your choice of handbag says a whole lot about you? Who would have thought that a decision that we usually make without a second thought can have such an impact on the image we project about ourselves to others. We are how we dress though, and the handbag is one of the most important statements about our outfit, because it reveals how we conduct our lives.
Whilst strolling the glamorous shopping streets of Shanghai, passing the enormous, over-sized versions of Louis Vuitton, Prada and Chanel amongst others, I was approached by a succession of eager Shanghainese, keen to take me down a back alley so that they could show me their perfect replicas. I was warned about this before I set off, but was not quite prepared for the contrast between the back street slums, in which the industry of replica handbags thrived, and the colossal designer outlets in which the genuine articles were housed.
