ISSUE 9 ....TIPS ON HOW TO TELL FAKE BAGS FROM THE AUTHENTICS
I often get emails from people who visit the www.handbagglossary.com website asking for advice on how to tell if a particular designer's handbag is authentic or fake. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT QUESTION!
I do not personally know a lot about all the particulars of any designer name handbags, but I do know there are A LOT OF FAKES out there! Fakes are mostly copies of the most exclusive, high end designer names; the ones popular in the most modern fashions, and the ones with household names who have a long history of quality and craftsmanship.
There are many experts out there that know all the little nuances of how to tell a fake from the authentic made by a famous fashion designer. These people can range from avid collectors of a particular designer to an authorized seller of the designer. These people, of course, respect the quality, durability and beauty of THE REAL THING. Because they have a true understanding of this, some of them even create websites packed with information about vintage collections all the way up to the newest season designs. They create these websites because they want everyone to appreciate and enjoy the real thing, and feel that other poeple who desire a fashion accessory made by that designer should get the real thing, and not shell out their cash for a fake. On the Links page of this website, are links to some of these websites which I have discovered and made friends with.
So, in general, how can you tell a fake from an authentic? I have written this to give some general tips that should be useful to you, about how to tell a knockoff from a quality designer handbag.
Most of the fakes I have seen are so terrible, and so badly made, they would fall apart within only a couple of months of use. THAT IS SO SAD! Maybe in the past you forked over some cash thinking you were getting the real thing? Think about the someone who buys a Esprit bag at Wal-Mart would get WAY more use and bang for the buck! THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU MAD!
Now you have arrived at this website, and are reading this. Yup, you tired of being dupped!
Read on....
LOOK AND FEEL THE MERCHANDISE
First and foremost, look closely at the construction of the bag. Touch it. Feel the quality. If you do not have a lot of experience feeling AUTHENTIC quality handbag designs, go browsing at high end department store like Nordstrom's, I Magnin, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, etc.
Pick up, touch, feel, look closely at the authentics such as; Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Fendi, Coco Chanel, Prada, Dooney & Bourke, Coach, J.P. Tods, Kate Spade, etc. Make a game out if it and act like a picky rich brat with very good taste. Get the sales person show you them all, especially the ones in the locked display cabinets!
Memorize those bags with your eyes and touch. Feel the strength of the leathers and fabrics. Look at the buckles and snaps and zippers. Check out the interior linings. Observe how bags (especially with patterns) flawlessly match along the front panels to sides to bottom.
PRICE IS A BIG HINT!
Of course high end department store is not going to sell fake handbags. But if you shop at thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, flea markets, swap meets, and come across someone selling a NEW Prada handbag for $40 - that is a fake! Even if someone is selling a used Prada handbag in good condition for that price, more than likely it is a fake, unless they do not know what they have, which is a possibility (especially at yards sales for example).
About 3 months ago, I purchased a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag for $2 at a yard sale - and it was authentic! I was not totally totally sure when I purchased it, but $2 cash was not much to lose, and a lot to gain in a learning experience.
So when you are doing your "window shopping browsing" at that department store, check out the prices of those bags!
AUTHORIZED RETAILERS
Visit the designer's website and get familiar with any AUTHORIZED RETAILERS of new designer handbags on the internet or in your local area. There are THOUSANDS of websites selling new fake designer handbags. (Also called knockoffs, or replicas). There are only dozens of websites selling authentic designer handbags.
Merchants at flea markets/swap meets selling new designer handbags, are selling FAKES. Even if the bags, wallets, or luggage they are selling have authenticity cards, dust bags, etc. Those are easier to fake than the bags themselves. There is no high end designer that has a flea market/swap meet merchant as an authorized retailer of their designs (that I have heard of anyway).
Used Vintage Second Hand Bags
Most people selling used designer handbags (like I do on eBay) are not authorized sellers. There are some authorized sellers for used designer bags, but they are very very very rare. Always keep in mind that you take a chance if you buy a USED high end designer handbag, especially at online auctions, or from internet stores offering vintage fashions.
When buying something used on eBay, or internet vintage fashion e-commerce stores, you gotta go with your gut, plus your own knowledge about that design. Take into consideration the history of the seller (like on eBay). Also, the seller who is not trying to sell used fakes online, or in an online auction (like eBay), will not be afraid to show various CLOSE-UP photos, LOTS OF PHOTOS of every angle and inside of the bag, and will answer your questions. More than likely, such sellers do not have anything to hide, and are sure of what they are selling even though they cannot provide authentication. If you are not satisified, or unclear about anything, do not purchase or bid!
Take Your Time to Get a Deal = Be Happy
You will be happy if you take your time. If you like shopping, then have fun with this. Spend time to examine the photos of designs and collections at the designer's website. Spend time to examine the bags you browse at the department stores. Visit often, when the new season designs come out, order catalogs.
My friends think I am wacko when I watch a movie and shout - OH! She has a Kate Spade! Or in a restaurant whisper, ewww, she has a fake Gucci, look at that....
If you can, memorize these particulars of the design
- location of buckles
- type of zippers
- if it has bottom metal feet
- are there eyelets at ends of shoulder straps
- note how the carrying handles are attached to body of the bag
- see the various materials the bags are made from
For example, if a particular design is made of kidskin (goat hide) in pink and green and black, and you find that particular design for sale somewhere, made of red leather (cow hide), it is probably fake. If a particular designer always lines their bags with a certain fabric, and you find one lined with a different fabric, it is probably a fake.
There are links at this website to most of the top designers, and the list is always expanding. Bookmark this so you can do your research to learn the particulars right from "the horse's mouth". Check out the list of designer websites on the Links page.
PARTICULARS THAT SCREAM OUT FAKE!
Here are some specifics to look for that will help you tell a fake from an authentic:
1. A metal name plate on the outside of the bag or inside, will be SCREWED ON not riveted or into the inside construction layers. You should see actual flush screw heads on the front and back of the metal name plate, not indentations in the plate made to look like screw heads.
2. Other hardware like latches, clasps, eyelets at ends of shoulder straps, buckles, etc., most of the time, will be screwed on. The metal will not be cheap pot metal with sloppy bumpy welded joints, but will be nickle with 24K gold plating, or palladium plating (silver in color), or solid brass, or solid nickle, or stainless steel. Such metal hardware will be heavier (and definitely stronger) than cheap pot metal with silver or gold metallic spray paint.
- On authentic designs, any welded joints will be smooth and never noticable that it is a welded joint. The hardware parts will move smoothly, fit together perfectly.
- Most designer handbags will have their name or logo embossed on all the metal hardware of the bag, even rivets and eyelets, snaps, buckles, and zipper pulls.
