Others have actually followed in Mary-Kate’s footsteps — literally. “I once bought a completely destroyed Louis Vuitton bag for maybe $100 — all of the leather was cracked, the bottom was close to splitting, it was a nightmare,” a New York-based journalist, who chose to remain anonymous, tells Refinery29. “It also had a ‘Mary-Kate’s beat up Kelly’ vibe to it, which is what I wanted.” Over time, she’s found that going for “fair” condition items, especially handbags, is a good way to buy into designer goods after their hype has passed. “‘It bags of yesteryear [that] you really loved can be really reasonable, and if you still love it all those years later that’s a good indicator that you’ll still love it and use it regularly,” she says.
