Authenticate This Vivienne Westwood

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#108
Suspicious is that there are no pictures whatsoever on the inside logo plate - cannot authenticate. Also price too good to be true for new VW bags - not sure what currency is "$100". Seller is located in the UK - even if it's £100 it's too good to be true for new VW bags...
 
#110
Not that I'm anything of an expert, but I recently bought what I thought was a real VW (I expect you've seen the post..! How embarassing!)

Anyway, the other lovely people of this forum who helped prove my bag was fake said about the double-zip not being a common thing.

Also, I've seen this bag before, and I think it's supposed to have the grafitti lining?

The 's' in westwood has too thin a middle section, and the 'o's in westwood are quite thin too. The middle of the 't' is quite narrow too. Compare to hervia labels. The thing you've already picked up on (says genuine leather italy instead of genuine leather made in italy) puts me off

I've seen a few of these on eBay, and one massive giveaway was that the seller said it was a 'leather effect' (i.e. pvc) bag in the listing...but the label said it was leather!

I've learned my lesson from buying a VW on eBay...stick to hervia.com or the VW shops!
 
#111
It's hard as the pictures of the labels are not very clear.

The first bag - I've seen the same design but as a bowling bag...the label on the photo says 'genuine leather made in italy', but it looks like fabric to me so I'm a bit suspicious

The second bag - ask the seller what materials it is made from, and ask for a closer clearer photo of the label, then make a decision :)

Hope this helps (also I'm a noob, so please don't consider my advice anything special!)
 
#116
Dear aluminium.siren,
I signed up for this forum just to reply to your post!

I recently bought a Vivienne Westwood bag in a similar circumstance to yours.
In pictures, the bag appeared to tick all the boxes, however to my eye, the bag in reality looks quite fake.
The 2 main points are, the lining of the bag... I may be wrong but I believe that all Westwood designs have a very unique grey scribble Orb lining print on the inside of items like purses and bags. And secondly all of the fixtures, like buckles, zips, buttons & straps will be of the highest quality materials.
The fabrics & leather should not be too stiff to the touch, and while the patterns - like the Tartan or the Squiggle print will vary (due to the individual cut & some items being made by hand) the stitching and overall quality, look and feel, and even smell (yes i know that sounds silly! but with high quality leather etc, you'll know what i mean.) of the item should be easily distinguishable as something which has been crafted with care and attention to detail.

The bag that I bought is a squiggle print (in the style of the older 80s Westwood designs) in red, grey & black. It's a hip-bag/bum-bag/fanny-pack - whatever you want to call it, with a stitched canvas squiggle print kidney shaped bag, with an adjustable black leather strap with silver flag zips & Orb on front.
I had never seen a 'Fake' bag like it before, especially in the famous Westwood 'Squiggle print' and assumed it would be hard to fake, but I guess alarm bells should have rung sooner.
I was hoping that it was simply an older design that I'd missed, or that was not featured too much in one of her cheaper fashion lines.
My bag, like yours, has all the right zip markings, flag shape and internal silver plaque with the correct logos and writing. (mine has all the i's etc!)
However, the lining is exactly the same as yours... which i was unaware of until I received the bag through the post this morning!
Also, the leather strap feels cheap, and the silver attatchments on it are un-marked and feel very light & cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=170460830931&view=all&tid=0

I have a fair bit of Vivienne Westwood things all purchased from the World's End store, Kings Road Chelsea, (including books with past collections and designs) and I've always been so overwhelmingly in love with the craftsmenship of all Vivienne Westwood things.
They just always feel so special.
This bag, however does not feel special and certainly does not represent the description of 'being worth a fortune' 'purchased originally for £350' that the seller mentions.
The seller also said that the bag had been used once and then put away. Maybe I should have been more suspicious.
While some real 'New' bags that have been put away will retain a certain stiffness, this bag just feels like a cheap 'New' FAKE.
I think maybe if there is any doubt in your mind, 9 times out of 10 it IS A FAKE.
Although there are always exceptions to this, and almost always the exception is to buy something outside of the current season, a discounted, discontinued or a vintage piece/older design - which will almost certainly always have signs of wear and tear after being much loved and worn by a genuine seller/2nd hand store.

This is the first time I ever bought something of this ilk on Ebay.
The seller seemed so genuine, and truly believed the bag to be real (at least I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt there.)
I guess this is always going to be a problem when buying things online, as going by pictures and descriptions is not a good way to know if you really like something, whether fake or real. You still have to know what it's like in reality before you buy!

Anyway, if anyone CAN authenticate this bag for me, I'd be grateful... although I am pretty sure that it's a big old fake, and I've been a bit silly.
And while I think it's a very cool bag, and would be even cooler if it was a genuine Weswood design... I'm unhappy at the thought that I 've been duped into buying something misleading.
I perhaps would have still bought it, knowing that it was a Fake and payed a little less in the process.
Maybe I am wrong though, and just being tremendously over-cautious... so I would really appreciate ANY feedback regarding the lining of Vivienne Westwood bags etc. Just to be 100% sure before I make formal complaints and try to get my money back.
I was going to actually take the bag down to World's end shop for them to clarify as a fake so that I have solid evidence when I come to make the complaint to the seller/paypal.

It wasn't a great deal of money in the scheme of things, but I'd rather not let this sort of thing slip and happen to somebody else, who may not question the authenticity of a 'Designer' piece and pay upwards of £150 for a inferior copy of something really special that could be purchased for a little more, and would be worth saving the extra money for.
Something that will last and be loved & re-used for many seasons/years to come.
That, to me, is what classic designers like Vivienne Westwood are all about.

Please let me know, aluminium.siren... did you get a refund for your bag?
what happened in the end?
I hope it was a happy ending! x
 
#117
hello! long time lurker, first time poster. i'm needing some help with two Vivienne Westwood purses!

here's a link to the first one---http://******/c05KR2

and the second---- http://******/b1i1ZT

any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks:)
 
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