PLAY Comme des Garçons knitwear guide

Winter is almost over in Australia but the weather is still chilly and unpredictable in Sydney. A jacket or thick cardigan is essential for those unpredictable days. What has been staples in my winter wardrobe are my PLAY Comme des Garçons cardigans. They are 100% wool, made in Japan  and in my opinion will always be in fashion because they are so simple, suit many trends, unisex and so versatile.

I first noticed this brand on a shirt that NEYO was wearing on a YouTube video (I usually notice weird little details). Initially I didn't know the brand but on a holiday shopping in Hong Kong I stumbled upon a pop up store because I had noticed the logo.

I wanted more of these cardigans but there was no store in Sydney that I knew that stocked this brand. Hence I started to search on eBay. However, on eBay there are so many fakes of this brand selling at only $30! Which is way below their recommended retail price. I did manage to acquire more of these cardigans through reference with the one I already owned and through communication with the seller. I'm posting a general guide to authenticating PLAY knitwear. For reference my cardigans are all crew neck.

Crew necks have 6 button holes and 7 buttons (1 is spare)

The spare button is attached to the care instruction tag. The tag would have a stamp in kanji. Also attached is spare thread

Buttons are mother of pearl and NOT plastic

Care instructions in English and French. Dry Clean Only.

Warning and more care instructions. The wool is thick and the quality of the fabric is noticeable. 

The underside of where the buttons and buttonholes are placed have a cross grain ribbon lining.

Hope this helps for those who are planning on getting some knitwear online. Make sure you ask for plenty of photos from the seller. For me these cardigans are worth every cent because I've worn them so many times.

Shopping for CHANEL

For several years I've lusted after this bag. I've always wanted it in black with gold hardware. But the prices kept rising like 20% every year! So I took a chance and bought it on eBay. I bought a vintage CHANEL medium/large classic double flap in black lambskin with gold harware. The vintage bags are gold plated.

This bag is so classic and will never go out of style. It's so practical as well, it can be used as a clutch, cross body or shoulder bag. Can be dressed up or down. So I feel this justifies the investment.

Personally I feel that a designer bag can make an outfit. It can make a cheap outfit look more expensive. I usually buy bags that are classic, ones that will not go out of style because you'll get more use out of the bag considering the amount of money spent on each one. Also if I want a bag, I must be thinking about buying it for months, I can't do impulse purchases. My bags are bought with my own money....months and months of savings. I feel that I will appreciate it more because I can see my hard work.

Before this bag I did lots of research. It's extremely important to do research. There are so many fakes out on eBay. Don't let the prices fool you! Some fakes get sold for hundreds of dollars by dishonest sellers and uninformed buyers. Here's what I did before I took the plunge:

• googled how to authenticate CHANEL bags, this was to get a rough idea for what I should look out for
• searched eBay and made sure the seller posted plenty of photos, if you are unconvinced it's authentic ask the seller for more photos, a genuine seller should be more than happy to provide more photos
• ask PLENTY of questions
• read seller feed back, check what else they were selling, check how many years the seller has been on eBay, AVOID low feedback sellers, check refund policy
• get a second opinion, I used the Purse Forum which is a free service and is authenticated by ladies with plenty of years experience, there are other authenticators out there but some do charge a small fee
• set limits: how much to spend, what to expect from bag, quality vs. price
• pay by PayPal, PayPal offers buyer protection of up to $20,000. It is also illegal to sell fakes
• as an added backup I paid by Credit Card, the bank will also offer some sort of buyer protection, do not use a debit card

Feel free to ask me anything, by no means am I an expert. But I'm always obsessing over bags and have a keen eye ^_^