Is Your Louis Vuitton a fake?

[Marco]

Is Your Louis Vuitton a fake?

Filed Under: Louis Vuitton Bags, General
By: Mariana L.




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We here at Pursepage.com are all big fans of luxury handbags. If you are a regular reader, you’ll find all of the writers demonstrating their passion quite eloquently in their articles. However, many of us, and I assume a portion of the readers may not always have the means to purchase all of your favorite designer purses. Some of us have turned to alternative shopping venues and auctions to obtain our goodies, but there are always some unscrupulous and “unfabulous” vendors out there who wish to take advantage of a fashionista with a limited budget.
How do you tell if a bag is a fake? The replica-makers are getting slicker and better every day. One of your first lines of defense is to really do your homework on your favorite designer. If you know anyone “on the inside”, even better, (and get those employee discounts!)
Louis Vuitton only sells through their own boutiques and very select retailers. You might want to check with the corporate offices to verify that the website or store you are buying from are legitimate dealers. Also, they never discount, so if someone tries to sell you a discounted bag because it was purchased at a big sale, you know it’s probably too good to be true.
Know the labels and tags. Designer logos are pretty easy to counterfeit. Anyone can stamp “made in Italy” on an item. If you see photos like the ones above, you’ll know your auction is a fake. Louis Vuitton has never had enclosures that look like these. If you can visit a boutique in person, and check out their labels, then you’ll know when something doesn’t look right elsewhere.
Check the trims! Luxury designer handbag manufacturers spent a lot of time producing and designing their hardware. If you check zipper pulls, logo plates, buttons, and they have the wrong name embossed on them, it’s a dead giveaway your bag is not authentic. At this price point, stitching is also a very specific detail. Designers will specify how many stitches per inch on each part of the bag to ensure quality. If the bag you are bidding on or buying from a sketchy retailer has uneven stitching, that’s another red flag.
Buying vintage? Again, it comes back to doing your homework. Ebay.com actually has a lot of guides written by resellers on how to determine fakes, even for historic styles. How do you trust them? The ones who actually sell the real thing want buyers to be as educated as they can be to weed out unfair competition. Some of the guides are very helpful and include close-up shots of older details and silhouettes.
At the end of the day, you and your handbag should feel good about each other, no matter what label you choose. Be true to yourself, in your own fashion.