Welcome to my blog column dedicated to the art of the comparison between real and fake designer bags! If you’re a fashion enthusiast or just love the allure of designer purses, you know how crucial it is to distinguish genuine pieces from fakes.
This section is to equip you with the knowledge and skills to confidently identify the real deal from the fakes.
Although the brand is known for being exclusive and has a tight approach to selling, the Goyard St. Louis tote is a favorite amongst celebs and handbag lovers around the world. It is versatile, lightweight, and highly functional.
If you’re trying to buy a pre-owned Goyard and want to know how to authenticate a Goyard bag and spot a fake, look no further. Before we start, learn some basics about the brand and the bag.
Prada, like most other designers, is plagued with the issue of fake or replica bags selling as the real deal. We’ve put together seven key tips to look for when looking to authenticate your Prada bag to make sure it’s not a knockoff!
Authentic Prada bags have their stitching done at an angle. The stitching on authentic bags is also done with a thick thread. Most fake bags will use a flimsier thread and the stitching will usually be done straight. The stitching should also be singular and not double backed. Looking at these details requires a sharp eye and a magnifying glass in many instances as they are very easy to miss.
If your Prada bag comes with studs at the bottom (remember: not all Prada’s necessarily do), you will want to pay attention to the engraving on the studs. The word PRADA should be printed on the studs in the same font as used on the front of the bag. Replica manufacturers usually use a font that is off, or the printing is not done as crisply as the authentic counterpart’s.
The Prada Saffiano leather is a distinctive calf leather that is cross hatched. This calf leather is of the highest quality and the cross hatching on the bag is produced by a process in which the print is pressed onto the leather which is meant to coat the bag. Replica manufacturers may use real calf leather however they are usually not able to replicate the cross hatch design as accurately. This detail may seem minute but the photo below makes its importance clear.
Most fake Prada bags miss the curve on the letter “R” in the Prada logo. This is one of easiest ways to spot a fake Prada as you can simply compare the logo on your bag to to that of an original, or simply pull up the logo on the internet to see if it matches. The engravings on the logo should also be printed crisply and should present themselves as easy to read. The spacing between the letters is also important as many fake bags have crooked or uneven lettering which is a telltale sign of a fake.
Authentic Prada bags almost always have a signature lining that repeats the name of the brand continuously. Most fake bags have a similar lining however leave out the name of the brand. This is a really easy and quick way to spot whether your bag is a fake or not.
Authentic Prada bags come with a dustbag that is white in color and has the Prada logo printed on the front. If your dustbag is not white or has something else other than the simple Prada logo printed on it, your bag may be a fake!
The authenticity card for an authentic Prada bag usually comes sealed inside of a small envelope, which is usually black in color. The card contained in the envelope should have a serial number written on it that matches the serial number on the inside of the bag. If these two numbers do not match the bag is most likely a fake.
As a brand Gucci is on fire right now. They are the hottest brand of the moment, and everything from their bags to their shoes are selling like hotcakes. Consequently this means that there are a lot of fake Gucci products out there, some which dubious sellers are trying to pass off as the real deal. These are some tips to help you authenticate a Gucci bag and avoid getting ripped off (or on the other hand if you have a fake these tips will help you understand how good of a replica Gucci bag you have on your hands):
The Goyard Saint Louis tote is by far the most popular Goyard bag and it comes in two sizes: PM and GM. This is a super popular bag yet I do not see it on the streets as much as I do Louis Vuitton Neverfulls due to the exclusivity of the brand: Goyard has only 29 boutiques around the world and they do not sell directly online, or even display their catalog online. This approach seems almost strange in our tech crazed world where we are used to getting what we want when we want, and usually what we want is available online.
Even with this tight approach to selling, Goyard St. Louis tote is a favorite amongst celebs and handbag lovers around the world. I think these are the bag’s strongest points: it is versatile, lightweight and extremely functional. You can use the Goyard fake St Louis tote as an everyday bag, as a shopping bag, as a traveling bag, as a diaper bag or even as a beach bag as these celebs show:
2017 is over (for better or worse), and the Lyst index indicates that Gucci was on fire as the second hottest brand of 2017, right behind Balenciaga. One of Gucci’s most popular handbags of the year was the Dionysus Supreme GG bag which I actually ended up snagging one (as a replica), in the same color combo Chiara Ferragni has (pictured below from her Instagram account):
In this review I will compare an authentic Gucci Dionysus bag to a replica Gucci bag. As you go through the guide, try to guess which is real, and which is fake. By the end of the article you’ll know whether you were right or wrong.
So in case you haven’t seen the Dionysus before, this is the bag pictured on the Gucci site, where it retails for $2,290 USD:
