Luxury Goods: Real or Not Real?

One of my students was yapping with me after her final. I asked her what she planned to do after graduation. She didn't know. She mentioned that her father works at Saks in the shoe department. I asked her if she had thought about working there. Hmmmm, she said. I asked her if her father had gotten her the GIANT Damier LV bag she was sporting. No, said she. It's a fake. She said her father recognized it as fake right away. She also said everyone assumed it was real even though it cost only $40. Everyone thinks it's real because I drive a BMW, she said. What's real? What's not? Always a question.