Never get fooled again. It’s tempting to take advantage of an incredible deal on a designer handbag like Prada. Learn to tell the subtle differences between the real thing and a good fake and save yourself thousands of dollars and hours of heartache.
Significance
According to Businessweek.com, “Fake Louis Vuitton Bags Don’t Fool Anyone,” counterfeiting costs U.S. consumers as much as $250 billion per year.
Materials
Prada only uses high-quality materials for its handbags. Top eBay reviewer quirky-princess’ authentic Prada purse-buying guide lists these materials as those used to make Prada handbags: deerskin, crocodile, lizard, full-grain leather, buffalo leather, wild boarskin, and ostrich.
Logo
There are two styles of logos: upside down triangle and rounded rectangle. The triangle has all three corners attached to the outside of the bag. The rectangle has rounded corners and is attached to the inside of the bag along all edges. The color of the enamel on the lining is very close to that of the authentic Prada handbag.
Lining
Authentic Prada handbags come in one of three materials: Prada signature fabric, smooth calf leather (vitello), or satin (raso). The lining is black or a coordinating color and the word ‘Prada’ and a symbol that looks like a sideways letter “S” always appear.
Hardware
“How to Spot a Fake Prada” notes that all hardware on an authentic bag is antique brass and comes in one of three colors, never a combination: silver-toned, gold-toned, or rose-color gold-toned. Hardware always has the Prada logo clearly embossed on it. Fake Prada bags are messy or lack the logo altogether.
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Feb