Diane D'Amato worked with Louis Vuitton for years and learned how to spot an OG just by the touch and look of the bag. She explained to 1st Dibs that the handles and piping of real deal bags are made up of vachetta leather — a natural-toned, light brown cowhide. After some wear and a few weeks, that color changes to a dark brown. "As soon as they're exposed to air, they start to change color. A non-authentic bag is not going to do that in the same way as an authentic bag," she explained.
Another telltale sign? That famous logo. The logo of LV bags is incredibly precise. This brand doesn't tolerate mistakes so if the logo is smudged, blurred, tilted, or discolored, it's probably a fake. "The colors may be off in counterfeits," D'Amato explained, "because they're not going to get the saturation and the color just perfect."
One more important characteristic to consider is the stitching of a LV bag. The craftspeople at Louis Vuitton are perfectionists, which means all stitches are straight and even. If there is a back and forth zig zag stitch, it's a fake LV purse.
In vintage LV bags, the hardware on the zipper never looks cheap, is never made from plastic, and is almost never defective. These bags are meant to last a lifetime, so the zipper should pull easily and smoothly (via Eluxe Magazine).
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