Authenticity Check: How to Spot a Fake Lady Dior Bag

Genuine Lady Dior bags are entirely hand-crafted from premium leather with exceptional skill and style. Each bag takes about eight hours to complete and is an elegant statement. If the bag is authentic, you can count on decades of service and may see an increase in value in the secondary market. However, counterfeit bags and super fakes lure unsuspecting buyers hoping for a great deal. Don’t be scammed by these fraudsters. Learn how to spot a fake Lady Dior bag with our Dior authenticity check. 

Fake Lady Dior Bag vs. Real Lady Dior Bag

For many years, a Dior authenticity check was a simple matter of quality. The fake bags were made from cheap pleather, and the hardware was made of metallic-coated plastic. However, as the price of genuine Christian Dior bags soared, the quality of the knockoffs did, too. Today, collectors must contend with highly sophisticated counterfeits known as “super fakes” made from quality materials with great attention to detail. 

Learning how to tell if a Dior bag is real is more important than ever. Of course, you don’t want to waste thousands of dollars on a fake item with no inherent value. Let’s begin our Dior authenticity check.

Key Features of an Authentic Lady Dior Bag

The Lady Dior bag’s intricate quilting is one of the outstanding features that counterfeits struggle to reproduce. The complex Cannage pattern was inspired by the rattan chairs used for the first Dior haute couture show. The first step in our Dior authenticity check is to examine the Cannage’s stitching quality. Each stitch must be precise, a short, even, straight stitch using fine thread in the precise color of the bag’s leather unless the bag is a limited edition. Fake bags often have sloppy stitching, irregular tension, a poor color match, or loose threads.

Another key feature of the Lady Dior bag is the iconic top handles. These are beautifully made to fit the hand comfortably and attach to the bag in a sturdy fashion. The way the handles attach on an authentic bag does not allow them to wiggle back and forth. When the bag sits on a table, the handles tend to remain upright. They will fall if you jiggle the bag; however, they will fall straight down — never off to one side. 

The D.I.O.R. charms are another outstanding feature that counterfeiters cannot get quite right. Aside from the exceptional quality, shape, and color of the hardware, the attachments of the charms on a genuine bag are designed to minimize bouncing around on the bag. Each charm is attached via a figure eight connection rather than a simple ring, dampening movement so that charms hang straight and avoid damaging the leather bag. If you see a bag with simple O-rings connecting the charms, it fails our Dior authenticity check.

Common Red Flags of Counterfeit Lady Dior Bags

In some ways, learning how to tell if a Dior bag is real can be pretty straightforward. Many red flags are common in fakes and super fakes, and if you find one, it means the entire bag is a counterfeit. A thorough Dior authenticity check evaluates each of these signs of a counterfeit bag:

• The bag’s body is made from a single layer of leather or fabric.
• Any signs of poor artisanship, sloppy stitching, or poor quality materials.
• Problems in the stitching of the Cannage.
• When the bag sits, the handles fall to one side rather than straight down.
• The interior of the grommets holding the handles lacks either Phillips head screws or an imprint that perfectly mimics the screws.
• The O charm falls in front of the other charms.
• The O charm is missing the round leather flap that hangs behind it on a genuine Lady Dior bag.
• The D.I.O.R charms hang from simple O-rings.
• The zipper closure is missing links. It should have three large metal links and one small one.
• The interior leather tag should have rounded corners and be stitched on all four sides.
• The interior leather tag reads “Made in Paris” or “Made in France.” Genuine Lady Dior bags should read “Made in Italy” or possibly “Made in Spain.”
• The tag and charm lettering must be in the correct font and spacing. Some fakes even include misspellings on the tags or authenticity cards.

An authentic Lady Dior bag will pass every stage of this Dior authenticity check. Some super fakes may pass some of these points, but not all. Some of the misses, such as the font style differences, can be difficult to perceive.

How to Authenticate Lady Dior Bag

This is a brief, step-by-step guide to how to authenticate a Lady Dior bag:

• Consider the overall quality: Examine the quality of the leather, fabric, and hardware.
• Inspect the Cannage quilting. The pattern should be meticulous and precise, pleasingly “puffy,” well-centered, and free of loose threads.
• Look at the hardware: It should be made of high-quality metal, with a gold or silver tone and a smooth finish that neither flakes nor chips.
• Examine the hardware connections: The handle and charm connections should allow some movement, but not enough for the handle to fall to the side or the charms to tangle.
• Check the zipper: The zipper should move smoothly and be stamped with the Dior logo. It should have three large and one small link attached.
• Inspect the interior leather tag: It should be stitched on all four sides, have rounded corners, and read “Made in Italy” or “Made in Spain.”
• Evaluate the fonts, size, and spacing of text: Experts examine all the text on the tag, logo, serial number, and charms to verify the authenticity of a Lady Dior bag.

Protect Yourself from Fake Lady Dior Bags

Of course, the best way to protect your investments in luxury handbags is to do business only with reputable dealers who offer a 100% authenticity guarantee on their products. However, understanding how experts conduct a Dior authenticity check can help protect you from scams, counterfeits, and super fakes. Perhaps best of all, learning how to spot a fake Lady Dior bag provides an opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the many facets of the genuine article.