How to spot a fake louis vuitton?

1. Leather or not? Many Louis Vuitton bags are made of coated canvas, but the trim is leather. Before making a purchase, familiarize yourself with the style that interests you. If the trim is supposed to be leather, it should feel dry — not oily, slippery or sticky.


2. Is the stitching even? It should be perfect.


3. Are there sloppy spots? There should be no back-and-forth stitching – that's a sign of sloppy construction that doesn't meet Louis Vuitton's high standards. Examine the bag carefully for this sign of a possible counterfeit. In this example, there is back and forth stitching under the tab.


4. Does the pattern match? Look closely at the matching of the pattern in the outside seams. A company like Louis Vuitton, which values its logo, wouldn't divide the letters in a seam. And where the pattern appears on either side of the seam, it should match precisely.


5. What color is the lining? It should be precisely the same shade as the real thing--not a close approximation.


6. How does the hardware feel? It should be heavy — not hollow. If it's imprinted with the Louis Vuitton name or logo, make sure it's supposed to be.


7. Are there imperfections in the print? This style, celebrating Japanese cherry blossoms, was a collaboration between Louis Vuitton's creative director Marc Jacobs, and the artist Takashi Murakami, known, among other things, for his whimsical smiley faces. In the counterfeit shown here, the brown toile peaks through the pink--something that doesn't happen in the original.


8. Does anything else raise suspicion? This bag has leather trim, but there's coloring outside the dark pink border on the blossom.

9. Does the whole thing hang together? Don't be fooled by the presence of a hang tag. Anyone who can counterfeit a handbag can fake that, too.


10. Where was it made? Some counterfeiters routinely mark Louis Vuitton knockoffs "Made in France." But as it happens, this cherry blossom line was made in Spain.


If you guessed that the bag on the right is the real Louis Vuitton, good for you. But it's easy to be fooled by a fake, like the one on the left.