9 Signs Your Frenemy's Designer Bag is Fake ...

Olga Jan 9, 2009

9 Signs Your Frenemy's Designer Bag is Fake ...
9 Signs Your Frenemy's Designer Bag is Fake ...

Let's face it, we all have frenemies, and there is nothing worse than running into one looking fabulous and showing off her new designer bag... unless... the bag she is so proud of...** is not authentic**!

I know it's bitchy, but, come on, wouldn't you want to know if that Prada on her shoulder is fake? ;)

Well, here are a few ways you can find out!

1. Find out How Much She Paid for It ...

And then compare it to the price on the designer website or at a reliable online store (like saks.com, e-luxury.com, neimanmarcus.com, net-a-porter.com etc.).

No matter how great the clearance is, a good designer bag can not cost less than $450 - $500 (and this is the lowest Gucci went this season for their $1200 clutches).

So if she says she was just that lucky to get the bag at a huge sale for $200, your dear frenemy is lying and that bag is as fake as her extensions...

2. Find out Where She Got It ...

And see if that store really carries that brand and that particular bag. She might casually say that she got that beautiful Dior bag in Saks on 5th. But, wait, what a pity - those gorgeous dark blue clutches were sold out 3 weeks before Christmas... Hmm...

And another thing, if the suspicious "designer" bag was purchased anywhere but in the official boutiques or department stores (Saks 5th Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom), it's 99 to 1 that it's not authentic.

Your frenemy might confess she got it from a dealer who said: We get them directly from the factory, that's why the price is so low.

But here's the trick, many designer bags are handmade, and even if the bag in question was partially made at a factory, Fashion Houses order a very exact amount of merchandise they later redirect to the boutiques and department stores.

So, every single designer bag ever made is registered and there are simply NO designer bags that just wonder off the factory and miraculously end up at some guy's garage!

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3. Take a Good Look at the Details ...

Take a Good Look at the Details ... LV Bag Detail
It's easy to see if the bag is fake if you take a good look at the details (I practiced that a lot on the subway :) The stitches are not perfect at the edges, the inside doesn't seem to be right, cheap screws instead of polished rivets...

No matter what the label and your dear frenemy say - it's a fake.

Some fakes are of a better quality, but still there is a way to spot them! Read on...

4. There is Something about the Bag...

That just does not feel right! If so, you've got to go with your instincts! If you have a feeling there is something wrong with the bag, the chances are, there probably is! My friend, an experienced fake-bag-spotter told me it's best to STUDY the bag first.

By "study" she meant going to a boutique or a department store and having a very close look at the original bag - the stitches, the inside, the way the logo looks, the way the leather/fabric feels. If there is a pattern, see where exactly it should be.

Take pictures and then you are ready to tell wether the bag under investigation is original or not.

Louis Vuitton LV logo on monogram bags is a good way to see if the bag is real - in Speedy 30, for instance there are 3 rows of 4 LV logos, so if your frenemie's bag is missing a row or only have a half of it, the bag is fake.

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5. Ask to See the Signature Mark ...

Signature marks are a great way to see if the bag is authentic. Every designer bag has one - you can find out the details calling the boutique o googling the brand.

For instance, Louis Vuitton bags are stamped with serial numbers and date codes that are registered with LV HQ and Hermes Bags have stamps which identify the artisan and the year the bag was made. Now fakes, no matter how good they are, do not have that.

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6. Take a Closer Look at the Logo ...

Take a Closer Look at the Logo ... Authentic LV logo
Most counterfeits have a problem with the logo, not only it can be slightly changed, the metal it's made of will not look or feel the way the real logos do. So if you get the feeling there's something wrong with the logo, it means there is something very wrong with the whole bag too! Find the real bag online, enlarge the image and compare what you see there to what's on your frenemy's bag.

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7. See if the Logo and the Design Match ...

This is called cross-pollinating. Sometimes they put the logo of one brand on a bag of another brand, for instance Prada logos on Chanel-like fakes. But I am pretty sure you would spot that right away with your designer-handbag-trained eye!

8. Get a Glimpse of the Packaging ...

All designer bags come in beautiful luxurious packages. There should be a nice flannel or cotton bag with the logo, a beautiful box with the logo and a shopping bag of the same color and with the same logo as the box.

Many fakes on e-Bay come in a flannel bag too. But please, don't let your guards down so easily. Those flannel bags are not the same. Come into a boutique and see what they should really look like or Google them at home.

LV flannel bags are made of sandy yellow flannel with LOUIS VUITTON (in capital letters) written on them in black. The box and the shopping bag are dark brown, look very expensive and also have black LOUIS VUITTON logo. If the package of the bag differs, the bag is fake!

8. If She Got It on E-Bay...

If She Got It on E-Bay... No matter how user-friendly e-Bay can be, it's not the same when it comes to designer bags. Can you imagine, on e-Bay 9 Louis Vuitton or Dior Bags out of 10 are fakes! And the worst part is that they mostly come from powersellers!

So if your frenemy proudly announces she got her new Louis Vuitton Speedy for $500 on e-Bay... well, just make sure you laugh only on the inside, when you suggest that the bag she got is fake (because it really is!)

The reasoning? If someone got a new Louis Vuitton for $700 at the store and they don't want it (yeah, like that is possible), they would return it to the store and get their money back. The other myth (about the bags coming directly from the factory) we have already covered.

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9. Still Wondering?

Check out the Authentic Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps buyers to avoid fakes. You will find all the info you need to make a verdict on the bag.

Well, now you are all armed with (hopefully, helpful) tips on how to spot that fake bag on your frenemy's shoulder.

And what are your ways to spot a fake? Have you ever spotted one on your frenemy? :) I'd love to hear from you!

Top Photo Credit: Bargainista.co.uk

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

There is no shame in buying a good fake. It's the CEO's of high-end of fashion who should be ashamed. ALL LV, Chloe, Prada and Burberry bags are made in factories in China - Shandong Province, apparently. The hardware is retro-fitted in Italy or France, therefore allowing the goods to be labelled 'Made in France/Italy'. These multi-million dollar companies want cheap, expert labour in China as they don't like to pay higher wages to their own countrymen. The design houses know there are 'leaks' and fakes - they can't expose the crimes, as they would then reveal their own lies and immorality. So fake yourselves out, ladies!

Are you kidding me.... you actually think about this stuff on a regular basis... wow. Do you realize that you just posted an entire article on determining if some girl bought a bag that is not as expensive as you thought??? As if that would actually make a difference. Look at you... you are so much better than SHE is... you are spending your time looking to see if bought a knockoff bag (obviously jealous of her in the first place) while she is probably off somewhere enjoying life having fun, and doesn't care about money... she is a lucky girl to not call you a friend. Hey girls... get your minds out of your prada bag... there are SO much more important things to worry about, and self absorbed drama queens are not attractive or sexy... unless you want a tool ... in that case continue

some good bags are worth money

Will those buying really good fakes be caught by the fashion police? I travelled with a friend to Paris, I bringing a nicely crafted leather purse made in the Philippines while she bringing a mirror image Chanel Caviar Jumbo Flap. And no Fashion Police went to accost us, while I've heard of reports of people getting fined for carrying fakes. Is it a crime to carry a fake bag (not sell them)? Or was it just a really good fake the Fashion Police failed to notice them?

i wanna know how to see real victoria secret??

I feel like I stand on the real side of the debate...I mean, if you're buying something for the brand, you're buying something FOR the brand. Why buy a fake Louis Vuitton with all the insignia if it's not even FROM the brand? I mean, if you don't want to spend the money on a bag that looks exactly like it should by the designer, then why bother spending money on something that's NOT the designer's? It's kind of like buying fan merchandise. I mean, if the bag looks similar to the designer's then that is understandable because it was never meant to fan-reproduce the original design. I have a bag that I bought from Zellars, a large department store-that looks similar to the Chanel flap bag. But it doesn't have any insignias on it to indicate it's Chanel, and I bought it from a legitimate store. While it shares a similar design, it doesn't claim itself to be the real deal. I just think that having a fake designer bag that claims to be real is just not cool. If you really like the bag, then save up for it. If not, then don't try to claim it is what it isn't...

Maybe, however hwho can afford to have over 10 bags valued over 3000 each?

Thanks for this post, I hate to see a lot of high pricing handbags either online or locally but then later knowing that it are not genuine at all. glad to have this post.

designerbagsonline.co store is where I buy my favorite handbags. I own a few authentic bags and several replicas but I think the most important thing is you buy your stuff from a reputable store that doesn't charge you big amount of money pretending to have the genuine bags. This is why I stick to one store that delivers true quality and durability at affordable price.

I like all of your blog articles. Girls should treat themselves better, so getting a better bag is a good idea.

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