Los Angeles Aug 10 (IANS) Actress Mischa Barton wore fake Chanel and other designer labels on "The O.C." says the show s costume designer Alexandra Welker.
"It was a challenge because everything had to look super high-end. There was absolutely no borrowing (from brands) involved either because nobody had ever heard of us so they were very leery of loaning anything " Welker told Page Six.
She added: "I ll be honest. Those Chanel bags that she carried those were not something I could have on my budget. But I found this amazing store in Downtown Los Angeles that sold the best-looking fakes I had ever seen! So we used some really really good knockoffs."
The show which ran from 2003 to 2007 followed a group of wealthy teenagers in Southern California s Orange County.
The Chanel boy bag which Barton s character Marissa used as a book bag cost approximately $1650 at the time reports femalefirst.co.uk.
She said: "People got really worked up over that Chanel book bag; they thought that the idea of a teenage carrying one to school was obscene!"
Welker recalled trying to raise money before the show had aired and being turned down by every designer she asked.
She said: "In the pilot I remember we did a fashion fundraiser.... I called every designer out there to explain what we were doing and who I was and they all turned me down. So for those runway looks we used everything from sale-rack clothes to things from costume houses to things I d designed myself."

--IANS dc/nn/