- A vintage expert with 20 years of experience says there are five telltale signs of a fake designer bag.
- She said luxury handbags from the likes of Gucci, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton have defining traits.
- From smell to hardware, here's what to look for when making your next pricey purchase.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Koyaana Redstar, the head of luxury buying at Luxe Du Jour, an online luxury boutique for vintage designer handbags. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I got started in the resale industry very young, at the age of 13, selling my mother's old Kate Spade handbags on eBay.
After my first sale, I was hooked. There was just something about the quick turnover and the fact that they liquidated very quickly.
From that moment, I was like, "What else can I sell?"
I've worked for Rebag, The RealReal, and other vintage consignment stores, and I have 20 years of experience in the resale industry. I've learned strategies that help me identify specific things about luxury bags, from their model to configuration, just by looking at a piece.
But here are some things that someone not as experienced with designer bags can look for to determine if the bag they see in a vintage store is authentic.
Symmetry
Overall, look for symmetry.
Luxury brands take the time to lay out their pieces. For example, the quilting should be centered on a Chanel bag. Look at the back pocket. The quilting should align with the bag it's sewn to.
Then look at the front flap — the quilting should align on the front. If it is, that's a good indicator that it's authentic.
Gucci, for instance, takes the time to align its patterns, which are usually centered. The same is true of Louis Vuitton.
So, look for that alignment. If it's off-center, don't even bother.
Hardware
You have to ask yourself — does the hardware have a nice weight to it? Does it make a nice sound when you're opening and closing the bag or when you use the zipper?
Don't even get me started on the super fakes, but for the most part, you won't find the sound of good hardware on fakes. The metal tends to sound and feel cheap, thin, and hollow.
With an authentic piece, you'll move the hardware and think, "Oh, this feels nice. This feels luxurious. This feels like I'm investing in this piece because this is going to last me a while."
Smell
I know this is a weird thing, but this is something I do to authenticate a piece.
I smell the bag.
Does it smell like leather? In certain cases, you'll know whether it's leather when you smell it.
However, if it smells too much like leather, it may also not be authentic.
It depends on the brand. Take, for example, the Hermes Birkin. The way the brand treats the leather gives it an almost perfumed smell — like the luxurious interior of a really expensive car.
But if you smell a bag and it smells like you're in a boot shop — that's not good.
For example, for Louis Vuitton vintage pieces, if it smells like Crayola crayons — and I'm not joking here — it is most likely authentic. There's something about older Louis Vuitton where when it ages, it smells like a Crayola box.
Finishing
Considering if a luxury bag is legit could come down to the nitty-gritty — because you must look at the finishings.
Does it feel cheap and light, or does the fabric feel luxurious, like someone took the time to construct this properly? Are the seams neat? Do the engravings on the hardware look flimsy and shoddily put together?
If you're holding a Fendi baguette bag, does the fabric or leather feel luxurious? Does it feel hefty — and not in a thick, clumsy way? Does it feel tightly woven?
The little details go a long way.
Phillips-head screws
And finally, the screws are one of the biggest giveaways for high-end bags like those from Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Fendi, or Gucci.
Usually, they're flatheads, so that's what you need to be looking out for. That's a telltale giveaway you can spot that a mile away.
If you ever see a Phillips-head screw anywhere on a bag, just say, "Nope. No, thank you. I'm done. Goodbye."