DIOR HOMME - Coats/Jackets: Fabric Content Tags

When shopping for Dior Homme online, the quality of the fabric, stitching, and construction are all very good indicators of authenticity. However, things can often look much better in the photos than in real life. A good back-up is to know a little about the tags and labels sewn inside the garment.

Example (click to enlarge):

Example (click to enlarge):

The fabric content tags can offer a good amount of information regarding the piece's authenticity. The fake tags above are good examples. The authentic tags are made of a very smooth silver material with almost no texture. Many of the fake tags have a rougher surface (as seen above). The bad fakes also have frayed edges like the one above.

Another key is to note the fabric content. Sometimes the fake tags are mislabeled and give incorrect fabrics for the particular item. If you are looking at a wool over coat that is labeled as 100% polyester, you know something is wrong.

Example (click to enlarge):

Watch out for typos too. Occasionally a typo may occur on an authentic tag, but it won't be more than a slight misspelling. In the example of the fake above you'll notice that it says both "Fabrique en Turquie" (made in turkey) and "Made in Italy" below that. A substantial typo.

Example (click to enlarge):

Here are two examples (one fake, one real) of a similar style tag. The authentic fabric content tags do vary based on the collection and the item. There are many different variations so the key here lies in the texture, edges, and typos. This tag also contains the reference number which gives information about the year and season. If you have some idea what season the item should be from, check it against the reference number to make sure they correspond.

Example (click to enlarge):

This is another variation of an authentic fabric content tag. This one is from a suit coat from an earlier collection (Luster, a/w03).

For more information on reference numbers click the "reference number" tab in the Dior Homme drop-down menu to the right.

Reconizing Fake Labels

One of the best ways to distinguish a fake item online is by the labels and tags. The tricky thing about spotting fakes online is that you cannot touch and examine the item. Most people would be able to tell which is fake by simply feeling the difference in the quality of the fabric and seeing the quality of the stitching and details. Since we do not have that luxury online the key is in spotting the details in the photos. Fake tags and labels vary in degrees of replication. Some fakes have downright bogus tags whereas others have pretty well copied tags. If you cannot see the tags clearly in the photos you should ask the seller for better pictures with some closeup shots of the tag. Most sellers on sites like yahoo auctions and eBay know to do this if they are selling authentic items. But, don't be afraid to ask. They are trying to get your business, and they need to work for it.

Becoming familiar with the size, font, and proportions of the brand's labels is crucial. Brands rarely change their tags and when they do it is usually major. For detailed information on specific brands please click on the 'Hunting Specifics' drop-down menu to the right.