Rosie Dawson-Hewes looks at the five most-copied fashion items:
1. The Balenciaga motorcycle bag was the original "it" bag. Carried by the likes of Nicole Ritchie and Kate Moss in the mid-2000s, it quickly became one of the most frequently copied bag styles. For a while, every second store hadone.
2. Converse All Star Chuck Taylors. Almost everyone I know has at least one pair. I have four. But while these shoes are relatively affordable (at least compared to the other items on this list), at just $75 odd a pair, that hasn't stopped the many, many replicas of these shoes.
3. The Hermes Birkin is so sought-after that even Sex and the City's Samantha lied to get her hands on one. Replicas of this puppy are a dime a dozen, but if you're after the real thing, expect to be put on a waiting list ... for years. I'm not kidding.
4. Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Created by Ray-Ban in 1956, they were revolutionary and the epitome of rock 'n' roll cool. And since then, almost every company that produces sunglasses has had its own version of the Wayfarer. And although the sunglasses worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's look like Wayferers, they weren't. They were an early imitation designed by Oliver Goldsmith.
5. Anything Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton's brand is copied so frequently it's probably one of most prolific luxury brands around. In the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul multiple stands offer a large array of "genuine fake" Louis Vuitton items. It's almost like the faux Louis Vuitton market propagates the allure of the genuine one ... though I doubt LV see it that way.
