When I think back to high school, and all the odors that bothered me, perfumes and cologne are pretty low on the list. The kid who had trouble paying attention in English class after lunch, and had that thick herbal smell? That was annoying. The disheveled Latin teacher whose breath was so bad I had to turn away when he talked? Or how about the kid who only smelled decent the day of his monthly shower?

No, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), some people insist that the real culprit is perfume. I'm serious. As designers roll-out new scents with colorful packaging to attract the back-to-school crowd, some schools are fighting back. They charge that excessive-cologne/perfume is an "air-quality issue." One principal interviewed feels, "Kids don't shower the way they used to." He complains that students are spraying Axe, a potent bodyspray, in lieu of showering after gym. But isn't that better than the alternative of spraying nothing?

The article also points out that a lot of teens are shelling out $50 for a bottle of designer stuff, in an effort to gain some affectation of a brand they can't really afford -- Marc Jacobs perfume instead of a Marc Jacobs bag. That's just silly. I have several bottles of knock-off designer cologne that I got at the Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) -- 66% off, for 33 cents per bottle. I get compliments on it constantly.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

Recently, someone told me that only 1% of all Louis Vuitton handbags in the world are authentic, which is quite surprising considering how many people, young and old, tote the luxury status symbols. I guess what most of them don't realize is that some of these bags are the real McCoy, while it seems a lot more are just reproductions. Several weeks ago, I posted Coach bags: You're just not worthy because Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) was stepping up their luxury handbag game with a new, more exclusive line of bags priced from $10,000 to $500 and adding hoity-toity boutiques to bring in a more elite clientele.

While both Coach and Louis Vuitton (LVMH) (EPA: MC) already have classic and luxury goods status among many, it seems that both companies are grasping for the top rung of the handbag ladder. LVMH may seem to be ahead of the game, since A-list celebrities such as Uma Thurman, Naomi Campbell, Scarlett Johansson, and even rapper Snoop Dog often travel in style and are photographed with LV bags. In comparison, I can't even think of an instance where I've spotted a celebrity with a Coach bag. After a quick Google search, I did however find a picture of Jessica Alba holding a cute Coach Daphne Straw Top Handle Bag ($168), which surprised me because most women I see with Coach bags tend to be older and middle class. In fact, a budding fashionista once told me that Coach bags were "mom" bags. So then it's understandable that Coach would spring this new Legacy line on us in a not-so-veiled attempt to lose its "mom" status.