I notice there are actually more and more people started to "appreciate" Longchamp from France. When I started to carry mine in 2006, only one of my friends know about this brand because she owns one herself. In fact, she was surprise that I have it and she even asked if it was a gift from Ben(maybe because of my pathetic pay, she doesn't think I can afford it and YES I was the junior sn back then. Nowadays, MORE AND MORE aunties are carrying it (I really mean it, aunties in their late 40s or early 50s) and more and more people are telling me they got it for few bucks!
I feel like puking when I heard that, seriously! An authentic medium tote's price tag is at least SGD200 and above and these people get it for few bucks! On top of that, YOU CAN'T REALLY TELL IF IT IS REAL OR FAKE!! Unless of course, take a closer look at the leather flap, zipper pull and then pour out everything from the bag to check on the reinforced snaps! Damn...will people think I am carrying a fake longchamp les pliages?
Here is a guide to SPOT THE FAKE from ebay guides and this info are only for those who afraid to get con as there are funny people out there organising BP for longchamp! *faint* and some innocent people are believing they are getting the real stuff
I feel like puking when I heard that, seriously! An authentic medium tote's price tag is at least SGD200 and above and these people get it for few bucks! On top of that, YOU CAN'T REALLY TELL IF IT IS REAL OR FAKE!! Unless of course, take a closer look at the leather flap, zipper pull and then pour out everything from the bag to check on the reinforced snaps! Damn...will people think I am carrying a fake longchamp les pliages?
Here is a guide to SPOT THE FAKE from ebay guides and this info are only for those who afraid to get con as there are funny people out there organising BP for longchamp! *faint* and some innocent people are believing they are getting the real stuff
extracted from ebay :
These tips below apply to the Les Pliages line of folding canvas bags (not to Planetes or the leather bags).
I have here pictures of two bags. The blue medium with long handles one is real, and the pink and tan shown are fake. They are "better" than a lot of fakes out there and is a lesson that you have to inspect carefully and ask lots of questions to make sure the bag you are considering is authentic. Many of the fakes I saw on eBay are more obvious than the one here.
Sorry photos are blurry....
GENERAL
The fake is on the left, the real deal on the right. Right away, notice the left bag looks too shiny and the handles don't look right: too short for long handles, and too long for short-handle variant.
Before buying, eyeball the dimensions, check the measurements, then compare with official Longchamp website. Longchamp new colours of the canvas bags 2 times a year (for fall-winter and the spring-summer) but the leather trimming is same always.
Leather
There is contrast stitching on the leather parts of the bag, which is a different colour than the leather itself on the visible side (and same colour as the leather on the back of the flap). Many Pliages I have seen have plastic tubes in the handles, because the leather is soft and not very durable. Real Pliages have no plastic tubes and are made from durable, high-quality leather.
The fake leather looks like a fish-scale pattern, with clean lines of even depth. On authentic bag, it is almost a diamond pattern, and grain is not embossed as deeply as the logo.
Leather Flap
These tips below apply to the Les Pliages line of folding canvas bags (not to Planetes or the leather bags).
I have here pictures of two bags. The blue medium with long handles one is real, and the pink and tan shown are fake. They are "better" than a lot of fakes out there and is a lesson that you have to inspect carefully and ask lots of questions to make sure the bag you are considering is authentic. Many of the fakes I saw on eBay are more obvious than the one here.
Sorry photos are blurry....
GENERAL
The fake is on the left, the real deal on the right. Right away, notice the left bag looks too shiny and the handles don't look right: too short for long handles, and too long for short-handle variant.
Before buying, eyeball the dimensions, check the measurements, then compare with official Longchamp website. Longchamp new colours of the canvas bags 2 times a year (for fall-winter and the spring-summer) but the leather trimming is same always.
Leather
There is contrast stitching on the leather parts of the bag, which is a different colour than the leather itself on the visible side (and same colour as the leather on the back of the flap). Many Pliages I have seen have plastic tubes in the handles, because the leather is soft and not very durable. Real Pliages have no plastic tubes and are made from durable, high-quality leather.
The fake leather looks like a fish-scale pattern, with clean lines of even depth. On authentic bag, it is almost a diamond pattern, and grain is not embossed as deeply as the logo.
Leather Flap
An authentic bag has a jockey logo embossed on both the leather AND the snap. If there is no logo at all..... beware!!!
OLD LOGO: (shown above) There is a jockey on a horse impressed down into the leather, and a straight line underneath. On the knock-off, the logo is not centered above the snap, the lines of the impression are not as clean as on the real, and the horse is lacking details like hooves.
NEW LOGO: (not pictured): Longchamp has introduced a new logo on the leather flap,though on my most recent trip to the shop they had the same bags with different versions of the logos. The new logo has the jockey and horse embossed, so the logo is raised up above the leather. There is _no_ line underneath, and if you look at the back side of the flap there will be a mark where the logo is raised.
The bag above is real. The back of the flap has writing above the stitching. This may, however, vary from bag to bag. On my "shopping" totes the words modèle déposé and made in france are between the lines of stitches (see arrow). Longchamp, Pliages and the name of the bag are above.
Among my real bags, there are variants. On the backpack I saw, the writing is all above the seams. Some say Pliages, some say Le Pliage..I have also heard that Longchamp does not make all bags in France.
Model Name
On my fake, the words modèle déposé are missing the accent marks. In any case, I think you have a fake for sure if the name printed on the back flap does not agree with actual model or it just says the word "type" but not _which_ type:
sac a dos - backpack
type L - large tote, short handles
type M - medium-large tote, short handles
type S - small tote
"shopping" - large tote, long handles; medium tote long handles
cabas - rectangular, no zipper
Reinforced Snaps
An easy one! Real bags have their snaps reinforced with clear plastic discs that extend beyond snaps on the inside of the bag. The foldable Pliages also have snaps near the bottom.
Fabric and Lining
Bags should have crisp seams, and perhaps creases from the original folding. Your bag should fold nicely and the two parts of the snap meet easily. The fabric on fakes I saw is too shiny and texture is much smoother compared with real. If a bag looks too shiny in a photo (see top photo!), you may want to double-check it's other features.
Inside, the plastic coating that lines the bag feels like plastic but not rubbery. For pastel bags (i.e., light blue, pink, etc.), lining should be WHITE, not same color as outside. The tan fake above is lined in tan, when it should be white. Dark colors are lined with black or brown.
Zipper Pull
OLD LOGO: (shown above) There is a jockey on a horse impressed down into the leather, and a straight line underneath. On the knock-off, the logo is not centered above the snap, the lines of the impression are not as clean as on the real, and the horse is lacking details like hooves.
NEW LOGO: (not pictured): Longchamp has introduced a new logo on the leather flap,though on my most recent trip to the shop they had the same bags with different versions of the logos. The new logo has the jockey and horse embossed, so the logo is raised up above the leather. There is _no_ line underneath, and if you look at the back side of the flap there will be a mark where the logo is raised.
The bag above is real. The back of the flap has writing above the stitching. This may, however, vary from bag to bag. On my "shopping" totes the words modèle déposé and made in france are between the lines of stitches (see arrow). Longchamp, Pliages and the name of the bag are above.
Among my real bags, there are variants. On the backpack I saw, the writing is all above the seams. Some say Pliages, some say Le Pliage..I have also heard that Longchamp does not make all bags in France.
Model Name
On my fake, the words modèle déposé are missing the accent marks. In any case, I think you have a fake for sure if the name printed on the back flap does not agree with actual model or it just says the word "type" but not _which_ type:
sac a dos - backpack
type L - large tote, short handles
type M - medium-large tote, short handles
type S - small tote
"shopping" - large tote, long handles; medium tote long handles
cabas - rectangular, no zipper
Reinforced Snaps
An easy one! Real bags have their snaps reinforced with clear plastic discs that extend beyond snaps on the inside of the bag. The foldable Pliages also have snaps near the bottom.
Fabric and Lining
Bags should have crisp seams, and perhaps creases from the original folding. Your bag should fold nicely and the two parts of the snap meet easily. The fabric on fakes I saw is too shiny and texture is much smoother compared with real. If a bag looks too shiny in a photo (see top photo!), you may want to double-check it's other features.
Inside, the plastic coating that lines the bag feels like plastic but not rubbery. For pastel bags (i.e., light blue, pink, etc.), lining should be WHITE, not same color as outside. The tan fake above is lined in tan, when it should be white. Dark colors are lined with black or brown.
Zipper Pull
Longchamp Pliages have round logo zipper pulls, which can be gold or pewter depending on what shape the bag is. The real one is extremely detailed, and on the fake the bodies of the jockey and the horse blend together. Longchamp use YKK zippers, and you can see the letters on the zipper above.
Backside of Flap
Fake bag leather looks hairy and the edges jagged. Real one is also raw but is smooth and clean. On the snap itself, the fake has the words "guang tong" and real says, "ORIGINAL."
Other Bags
From what I've seen on eBay and at places selling knock-offs, the Pliages totes seem to be copied the most, especially small tote, medium shopper with long handles, and large shopper with long handles. But that doesn't mean others aren't. Please notice, this guide does not apply to bags outside the Les Pliages line. The advice stated here is entirely my own personal opinions. Happy shopping!
Guide ID: 10000000006532305Guide created: 04/06/08 (updated 10/07/08)
6 chirping:
Haha... This post is interesting. Don't feel angry because for Fake goods, we can't do much right. Even real LV sometime you take on the street, people might think it's fake. Sigh... That's the reason why I am so skeptical in owning branded stuffs.
Dude, you indirectly told me the price of this toys! Expensive =)
sam, I still like (certain)branded stuff, mainly because of their quality. My longchamp is still in good shape after 2 years and I use it on daily basis.
anonymous, the quality justified the price. so I don't think it is expensive.
Haha... I do like LV bags but because a lot of people carrying it so a bit reluctant to buy.
To be frank - yes Longchamp have very good quality bag. So paying S$200 for it - I think it's fine cos it's super duper durable bag:p
but now I started to dislike mine. stop carrying longchamp bag now.
Haha... Don't feel that way. It's still your 2006 treasure right? Don't let others affect you ok.
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