The Real McCoy

So you want to buy designer? You've come to the conclusion that it's time you splurge on yourself and get that Louis Vuitton or Prada bag. But nothing can be worse then spending good money (maybe at a discount price) and learning your item is a fake!! After all, if you are going to wear designer -wear the real thing. I know I can't afford it so I stick with brands that I can (hence Zara, Express, H&M, little east village boutiques) but if you see me wearing prada -you better believe it will be prada. So how do you distinguish the real from the fake.

The Clothing Doctor gives some good tips:

� A Rolex watch has a sweep second hand; the counterfeit's jumps forward each second.

� The signature metal logo on a Prada item has rivets or grommets with domes; the fake has hollow or empty rivets. Also, you can often pry a glued-on logo off the counterfeit bag; you can't with the permanently attached Prada medallion.

� When someone presents you with what seems to be an Hermes product, the obvious first clue is if it's in the famed orange box with brown trim. Is the design crisp or blurred? Are scarf hems hand-rolled and stitched? Are leather goods double-stitched (with two pieces of thread) and does the stitching go all the way through the leather? Counterfeit pieces generally have surface stitching and the pieces of leather are glued together. The metal hardware never fades from its gold color and the links never tarnish.

Check out the link for more tips.

For you Louis Vuitton lovers:

MyPoupette offers great advice and tips to buy real.

And about.com offers advice as well:

The price. A new Louis Vuitton handbag for $100 is not authentic. The real thing often sells for $500 to well over $1000. Same thing for Prada and Gucci.

Where it's being sold. Authorized dealers for Chanel, LV, etc. do not sell handbags out of the trunk of a car. Nor do they sell them at online auctions or at home parties.

Point of origin tag. Designer apparel or leather goods with a "Made in Taiwan" tag are not authentic.

More on why you shouldn't buy a fake can be read at: http://fashion.about.com/cs/tipsadvice/a/fakingit.htm

Let me know about more ways to tell real from fake designer and I will post it!

said jagg-ed on 30 September, 2003 at 10:56 a.m.

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