It all seemed to happen at once.


There had always been the women who bought luxury handbags outright and then the rest of us, toting around our wonky  replica dopplegangers, hoping to at least mimic the silhouette. Then, one fall morning last year, I looked up from my phone and saw them: four different, glorious Chanel Flap Bags, hanging from the shoulders of four separate women in my subway car. I ride the Metro to work in LA, where 59% of female riders fall below the poverty line and most make less than $50K a year. The basic Chanel Flap Bag currently retails at $5,000. Did everyone have a Chanel bag except me?


The answer is no. But many people—actually a fifth of all luxury buyers—have an *air quotes* “Chanel bag.” And they probably bought it using independant ecommerce.