Fugitive outfit of the day: Fake or fortune

MANILA, Philippines — The STAR yesterday ran a blow-up photo on its front page of fugitive fashionista Alice Guo from her Facebook page on June 9, 2023 – but the arithmetic behind it is even more revealing.

Is her “Outfit of the Day” or OOTD worth a fortune or, like her birth certificate, just another fake?

Just one year ago, Alice was seen flaunting what looked like a baby pink Hermès Evelyne shoulder bag. The high-end French fashion house officially calls the cherry-blossom shade “Rose Sakura,” which can cost a cool $4,500 or P253,000 – and pre-loved at that. (You can’t just walk in and buy an Evelyne even if you had the money.)

It pales in comparison to the eye-watering price tags of the Hermès Birkin or Kelly, which run as high as from $25,000 to $250,000 or P1.25 million to P14 million, depending on the rarity of the leather.

But here’s the catch – eagle-eyed Dennis Robles, experienced Hermés purveyor and authenticator at Rare Collective Manila, has serious doubts about Alice’s bag. “The size is off. It looks like a small but is way too fat from the side!” If it were real – and not what he laughingly calls a “Made in China” dud, yes it would fetch the mega-bucks.

The rest of Alice’s outfit is pretty pricey too. For life on the run, she is, however, shod in Christian Dior “Dioract” sandals. The white lambskin version she’s wearing hits you up for $1,250, or a relatively “modest” P70,000.

Our style experts are not sure about the baseball cap emblazoned with an “R.” It could be possibly from the insider brand, Rhude, which retails for $300 or P17,000.

The pièce de résistance – or the ticker with a big sticker – is none other than the Rolex Daytona wristwatch.

Popularized by the late car-racing movie star Paul Newman, its various models start at a hefty P3 million and can fetch up to a blistering P12 million. Again, Robles says, if – and big if – it were made of real yellow or rose gold.