Broke & Chic teamed up with Bella Bag founder Cassandra Connors, to teach you how to authenticate a designer bag. Bella Bag is an online shop where you can buy, sell and trade pre-loved designer bags. Yes, even a broke fashionista such as yourself can rock the same bag as Victoria Beckham!
If you’re going to spend even a penny on a designer bag, make sure you’re not being taken advantage of. Back in the day (as in only a few years ago) it was easy to tell if a designer bag was fake, but now it’s getting harder and harder to tell if your piece is the real deal. Taking from her 13-Point Authenticity Inspection, Cassandra Connors provides some helpful tips on what to look for when authenticating a bag.
- Counting stitches. While tedious and somewhat frustrating, counting stitches can really be a deal breaker when it comes to authenticating a bag. Keep in mind that the real deals often have a much more complex stitching design than most knock-offs.
- Examine interior and exterior logo stamp. While knock-off logos might look like the real deal at a glance, a thorough examination is necessary to find the minor detail differences between the real logo and the knock-off logo.
- Trace serial numbers. Serial numbers almost always seal the deal in authenticating a bag. The serial number assigns a specific number to one designer piece that involves the history of the bag. A knock-off serial number will not show up in a designer database as it was most likely made up.
- Test hardware magnetism. This has a lot to do with the materials that are generally used with a specific brand. When the material used of the real deal is known, it’s easy to compare the differences.
- Inspect zipper heads. Each brand uses a different zipper brand, and almost always uses the industrial ones. Also, zipper head designs are almost always altered, and because the zipper is such a small details, it can sometimes be hard to catch.
I’m also a proud owner of a pre-loved designer bag. A navy blue Marc Jacobs Stam bag has a permanent home on my shelf. Although still pricey, it was worth every penny. It has saved me at quite a few New York Fashion Week events.
Do you own a designer bag? As a broke fashionista, was it worth every penny? Or, is your credit score still suffering? Let us know in the comments below!
