Real Housewives star urges fans to buy Amazon heels that ‘look rich’ & a great dupe for Louboutins costing £635 more

Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend says it’s time fashion snobs stopped looking down their noses at affordable versions of designer buys.

Bargain US supermarket Walmart became a social media sensation when its £60 dupe of Hermès’ Birkin bag, dubbed the Wirkin, went viral.

Influencer @styledbykristi gushed: "Eighty dollars (£60), you can pretend that you got a Birkin. I mean, everyone will probably know it’s not, because who the hell has the money to spend on the real Birkin? Not me.”

Me neither. And why bother? I would never spend that on a designer bag (although if someone wants to buy one for me, that’s a different story).

Plus, if I splashed that much, I’d feel I was being ripped off...

We’ve all been told how the leading brands use the finest leather, thread, dyes and craftsmanship in the world.

But all that is inflated by fashion houses to create the desired illusion of exclusivity.

Just last year, Dior came under investigation for paying £44 to assemble a bag that sells for £2,000.

So while you might think you are paying for top-level craftsmanship carried out by a true artisan, chances are the poorly paid workers are not seeing any of your hard-earned cash.

Dupes — not to be mistaken for knock-offs that copy everything from the logo to the inside label — are a more practical and all-round sensible way to go.

I bought my first when I was 18. It lasted me four years and only broke after I wore it in the shower.

And these days, British high streets have plenty of dupes. In the past three years, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Mango have all seen huge spikes in sales thanks to their canny copies. They use the same viral, must-have marketing tactics that pricey brands have.

Fashion folk will tell you that you are making an investment and buying a “heritage piece” and will turn their noses up at a high street equivalent. But we’ve been wearing looks inspired by catwalk designers for decades.

If we can buy a bag that’s the spitting image of the pricier version, but doesn’t mean you have to remortgage, why not?