DIOR HOMME - Coats/Jackets: The Paris Tag

The "Paris" tag is sewn into the collar of coats and jackets and suits. It is a silver loop with "Paris" embroidered on both sides. There is a thin black mesh loop that covers the silver loop.

Example (click to enlarge):

The tag should be about 1.5 inches long (4cm). In the example of the fake tag above we have several things wrong (other than the creepy thumbnail). This fake tag is a stubby little thing. The letters are also further apart and larger in scale than the authentic tag. The other thing that is off is that they are 'upside-down.' When the jacket is on a hanger and the tag is pointing down the "P" should be the closest to the collar seam. If you pull the tag up (so it is pointing towards the top of the hanger) and read the backside the "S" should be the closest to the collar seam. The fake tags often have this reversed, so it is a sure signal. However, I have heard from several people who have bought Dior jackets (that they swear are authentic from authorized retailers), that occasionally an authentic jacket will have a reversed Paris label. If this is true it seems to be a rare occurrence. Keep this in mind and use your best judgment.

Example (click to enlarge):

This is where that little piece of knowledge comes in handy. The fake on the left is a pretty good copy. If you click the image and enlarge it you can see the letters are a little shaky, but all-in-all it's fairly convincing. However, the tag is reversed. The tag is pointing down and the "P" is not the closest to the collar seam. Granted there may be exceptions to this rule for authentic jackets, but it is a good red flag because so many fakes do have it reversed. Upon closer inspection of the fake above you can see that the letters are too close together, the tag is too wide, and the writing is not centered on the tag.

Example (click to enlarge):

This example above is of another fairly accurate fake, but again, the fake letters are reversed and they are a little bolder and also closer together than the authentic one. The authentic Paris tag has a little more spacing between the letters than this fake example, but not as much spacing as the fake example below.

Example (click to enlarge):

This is a decent fake. The letters are going the right way, though it's not a very clear picture. Even so, you can see that the letters are spaced too far apart. It should appear as "PARIS" not "P A R I S"

Example (click to enlarge):

The fake above is kinda pathetic... I almost feel sorry for the little guy. However it does have one thing correct, the letters are going in the right direction. The tag is pointing up towards the collar and the "S" is the closest letter to the collar seam (if it were pointing down it should be reversed). This knock-off is also missing it's stylish mesh loop.

DIOR HOMME - General Info: Reference Numbers

Dior Homme has reference numbers printed inside most of its items. This number can be found on the fabric content label of the coats, jackets, suits, sweaters, and shirts. Most of (all of?) the jeans only have a reference number on the hang tag and not printed inside (at least none that I have ever found).

Example (click to enlarge):

In these examples you can see the location of the reference numbers (underlined in green). The picture on the left is of a fabric content label in a jacket. The picture on the right is the hang tag from a pair of jeans.

Most fake Dior Homme has reference numbers printed in them, but they are usually incorrect for the particular item. These numbers are codes that are specific to the item's style, production year, and season.

Example reference code: 5EH2022526, (which is for a blazer from the spring/summer '05 collection).

• '5' denotes the year it was made, in this case 2005 ('3' for 2003, '4' for 2004, etc).
  
• 'E' refers to the season/collection the piece is from. 'E' = Eté (Summer), or 'H' = Hiver (Winter).
• 'H' , the third character in the code, seems to refer to the specifics of the piece. I believe 'H' is for Homme, where as an 'F' would be for Femme which would be the limited petiet sizes Dior Homme has made for women. There is also sometimes a number instead of a letter for the third character, and this I believe may represent a pre-production or special order piece (but that's just a guess).
  
• '202' refers to the item group, in this case a blazer (Veste). If the number is in the 200's, ie. '202' on a blazer, I believe it denotes the material, '202' for super 200's wool vs. '102' for a blazer made with super 100's wool. Other examples: 101 = trousers (pantalon), 105 = shirts (Chemise), etc. There are many variations of these numbers for different seasons and pieces. You could probably write a book on them.
  
• '2526' deals with the cut/style of the piece.

Though it is often not labeled inside the garment there is an extended code on the hang tag. One example is: E47 B6A8

• 'E47' is the fabric code, which denotes the material used.
  
• 'B6A8', is the color code. In this case, 'B' refers to Bleu (blue).

If you are bidding on an online auction it's a good idea to learn what season and year the piece is from. Then, you can cross reference it with the number. The fakes are often marked with the wrong season and collection so keep an eye out. If you are not sure, do a little research. A simple Google search of the reference number may turn up some information. Men.style.com has a nice selection of runway photos from the last few years. And, if it is from a current or recently past collection, Diabro.net lists the reference number (item code) for every Dior piece it sells. You could also post a question on The Fake Hunter Discussion Forum and I or another member will try to help you.

DIOR HOMME - Coats/Jackets: Silver Logo Tags

Coats, Jackets, and Suits have this larger silver logo tag sewn inside the chest just below the inner pocket (if there is a pocket). The earlier Dior Homme collections (like Luster) had embossed Dior logo tags. Later they changed them to stitched embroidery.

Example (click to enlarge):

Above are two authentic examples of these tags. The one on the left is embroidered and the one on the right is the older embossed version.

The suit coat tags are approximately 2.5 inches wide by 1 inch tall. The tags that are sewn into outerwear (ie. overcoats, jackets, etc.) are approximately 3 inches long by 1.5 inches tall. The embroidered "D" is 5/16 of an inch tall. The embossed "D" is 1/4 on an inch tall.

Example (click to enlarge):

Above are two more authentic examples. The one on the left is from a wool overcoat. The one on the right is from a suit coat.

Example (click to enlarge):

Now we get to the fakes. The key to distinguishing these fake tags is in the proportions. The lettering of the fake tags is often larger than the authentic tags. The fake "D" is also usually more elongated. The authentic tags are stitched with a stitch in each corner, which is often omitted on the fakes.

Example (click to enlarge):

However, as you can see above there are some pretty good fake tags out there. The differences here are subtle but still present. You can still see the elongated "D" and the material of the tag is different. The authentic tags are printed on a very smooth silver material with very little texture. Although it is not part of the tag, the other giveaway in the fake shot is the stitching in the upper right and left of the photo. It is very cheaply done and not even.

If you are looking at an online auction for a Dior Homme item and there are no pictures of the tags or labels, request them. They are one of the surest ways to identify the authenticity. If the pictures are provided in the auction compare them to the real labels. Remember to keep an eye on those "D"s.