HOW CAN YOU SEPARATE A FAKE YSL BAG FROM AN AUTHENTIC ONE?

Bags from Yves Saint Laurent are stylish and traditional. Yves Saint Laurent handbags offer that adaptable style that goes well with your outfits of the day, whether you're looking for a special event bag or an everyday bag with a famous but basic emblem. Although genuine Saint Laurent bags give your outfit the much-needed pop, there are also many knockoffs on the market that, for the most part, fall short of the originals' elegance and sophistication.

So, when making an internet purchase, how can you distinguish between a real and a phony Yves Saint Laurent bag? Even if it's becoming more difficult to identify fake YSL bags these days, there are still certain subtle characteristics of the workmanship that can point to authenticity. If you're considering a YSL bag and want to be sure it's authentic, here's what you should know.

READY TO USE: YSL BAG TRIAL
You need to be aware of the essential components of a genuine Yves Saint Laurent bag when looking for them online. In the past, there were clear indicators that distinguished a genuine Saint Laurent bag from a fake one. Although counterfeit producers are creating increasingly intricate methods to imitate designer handbags, some of the nuances and quality requirements of Yves Saint Laurent cannot be replicated by their mass-production process. These are the trustworthy indicators to watch out for.

1) SEARCH FOR THE YSL SERIAL NO.
Inside the bag, look for the tag with the serial number. Sewn at the top of the tab of the bag is a rectangular piece of leather that matches the color of the bag's inside. "Saint Laurent Paris" might be printed on the front of several bags. The serial number should be etched in one row of digits if you look behind the tag. Two rows make up fake bags.

The serial number of an older Yves Saint Laurent bag should be 12 digits long, with two 6-digit numbers divided in half by a dot. The 10 digits and 3 letters on the most recent models are divided by a dot. The code's last two numbers represent the year, while the first two represent the production month. If the Yves Saint Laurent bag isn't numbered, it's not real.

The words "Made in Italy" may appear in all lowercase or capital letters on some genuine Yves Saint Laurent purses.

2) Examine the material's quality.
High-end materials used by Saint Laurent include suede, various textured real leathers, and lambskin or calfskin leathers. A telltale symptom of poor material quality is that some counterfeits employ poorer grade leather (or even fake leather material) that is stiff or has a strange plastic-like texture and sheen to it. On the other hand, genuine Yves Saint Laurent leather feels smooth and velvety to the touch. There should be a black cloth with a leather trim inside the bag. It's possible that the leather and lining are glued together, but this ensures a smooth transition.

Its original metal hardware should be one of the other materials to watch out for. Because Saint Laurent uses unplated precious metals, its pieces are resistant to chipping, discoloration, and dullness.

3. Examine the stitching.
The stitching on Yves Saint Laurent bags is always precise and well-aligned. A stitching method called matelassé, which mimics the look of quilting, is used on certain bags. These stitches ought to be straight and even. Any defect, including double stitching or loose threads, could indicate that the bag wasn't manufactured to YSL's high standards.

4) CHECK THE INTERIOR LOGO
Examine pictures of the recognizable "YSL" emblem for the brand on the front of the bag and contrast it with the one on the one you wish to purchase. While the original letters of the Y, S, and L do overlap in some places, they do so in a particular fashion. You are looking at a fake bag that fell short of accurately replicating the logo if the overlapping is off or if it is impossible to determine which letter is on top of which.

The right arm of the Y should be above the S-curve, and its left arm should be under the S's upper curve. The bottom half of Y should be beneath the center section of the S. The vertical line of the L and the S then cross at two different positions; the L should be on top at the lower intersection and the S should be on top at the upper junction.

Observe the thickness of the various letter components as well. The Y should have a thicker left arm than a right. The vertical line of the L is slightly narrower at the bottom than it is at the top.

Finally, the majority of bags manufactured between 2012 and 2016—during Hedi Slimane's tenure as Yves Saint Laurent's creative director—should feature four faux nail heads. One at the bottom tip of the S, one at the point of the horizontal line of the L, and two on the upper portion of Y's arms.