For some time now I noticed that most of the chicks in the nightclub photos in Atlanta are wearing cheap, knock offs of brand name bags like the imitation Louis Vuitton that Debra Glenn of Glenn Twins is wearing in this picture.

I know that these bags are fakes and I’m not even a fashion connoisseur (expert). Also, the chicks that you normally see holding the bags in these club pics look like they could afford the real thing if they cut back on hair and nail salon visits in a month.

So why do these ladies wear these bags when they are so obviously fake?

I put the question to a fashionista friend of mine who wouldn’t be caught dead with a knock off. She told me that “everyone does it because it’s the in thing now”. She said the bags are not referred to as “knock offs” they are called “replicas”.

And, in some case, the replicas of a Chanel or Louis Vuitton bag carries the same status as the real thing, but at half the price. As you know, status is everything.

She said there is a robust replica market for these bags such as this site that caters to women looking for replica handbags and shoes on a tight budget.

For instance, the replica of a Louis Vuitton monogram Speedy 25 that Debra is holding can be yours for $215 as compared to the real thing which retails for $665. The difference between the two, of course, is the authentic Speedy is higher quality and doesn’t sag or lose its shape.

Leave it to us to make a status symbol out of a knock off of a high end brand.

Photos by ExclusiveAccess.net