Spotting a fake

[tsloop]

Today I got an Armani Collezioni suit and it looks beautiful, it fits perfectly just like the one I tried on in Saks but when I looked at it the made in italy tag on the back of the neck is upside down and the armani collezioni badge on the inside next to the inside pocket isnt sewn on, it looks like it is glued or something becuase when I pulled on it the edge started to pull up. I wouldnt think that a real armani suit would do this but maybe I am mistaken. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[aybojs]

From where did you get the suit? If it was an eBay auction or website, can you paste the link?

 

[tsloop]

My dad bought it for me on ebay, heres the linkarmani suit on the picture of the inside tag you can see its not sewn on, but the suit fits really well just like the ones in Saks which is what makes me think it might be real and even if its not I still like the fit.

 

[Carlo]

My guess is that you did okay.  The seller has 4155 feedback rating for 100% positive.  The fake-peddlers are easy to spot and do not last generally.

Also, the tags look right.

Armani gets knocked here sometimes because the construction is not that of some other less marketed brands.  On the other hand, an AWFUL LOT of Armani stuff is VERY nice looking so if it fits you well then my guess is that you did well on this.  Like fabric + Like fit + makes you happy == good job.

Looks pretty.
BTW - labels look right as does the cert of authenticity in the photos. Methinx you are OK.

 

[aybojs]

An Older thread about a suit from the same seller. I'm not sure if the aforementioned query was resolved, and I myself can't tell from those pics. However it might be worth trying to post some pics of your own to this thread or swallowing your pride and asking someone at your local Sak's if they can tell. Hope everything's all right, but since I do remember that a suit sold by that seller had been questioned on here before, I thought it worth pointing out.

 

[tsloop]

I definitely think I should take it to Saks but the closest one is in San Francisco which is an hour and a half away, reading the posts from the link you put is definitely disheartening but I guess that is what I get for being impatient and just going out and buying things. The feedback definitely made him seem reputable and I still hope this turns out for the best.

 

[Carlo]

Hmmmmm... Okay, I'm one of those extremely direct types so I invited the seller to join us and opine.

The whole Naldini thing.... well, when I was new at this I saw the fabrics and the machine-done pick stitching and thought I was looking at some super high end stuff.

...got a bit more educated (And saw the factories in Italy first hand where some of these type suits are made) and came to realize that for $300 or so they are nice suits.

...but they ain't $2000 suits.

For those who didn't check in Websters:
$2000 suit (Tooo Thowsand Dollah sooooot) Noun: Either handsewn on canvas interlinings or being worn by a $1700/hr hooker.

 

[aybojs]

Good call, with the direct approach Carlo. I'm not trying to pass judgement myself either, but as has been discussed on this board the whole Naldini et al. thing is pretty sketchy, and even if done as a result of the seller's ignorance, is going to reflect poorly on his other auctions.

tsloop, my rule of thumb is not to be shy and ask people here for opinions before bidding. If you're afraid of bidding competition, there are a few experienced and honest eBay sellers on this board you can PM for advice. Carlo is one of them, so I feel a little sheepish to have brought up that post if he's providing his assurance. Nonetheless, if you have doubts, it might be wise to just make the drive if you don't get convinced either way by anything here. Hopefully everything will turn out fine.

 

[NYCDan]

Yes, what was the resolution on that Canali suit? Carlo you are a better man than I. I think it is disgusting and dishonest.

 

[Carlo]

Anyone who knowingly sells fakes should be dragged out into the street, disemboweled and set on fire (Reason number 657.4 why I am not in charge). That said... I also figure give people a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. When we started I knew some things and had an awful lot to learn. Â The first few Naldini-type suits I saw I thought "Wow, that is really nice". Â As we got into it I started to learn my trade a bit better and in developing our own line I learned a LOT more when I started going to factories and seeing the different way things are made. Â A regular reader here is about 10 times more savvy than the average man when judging quality. Â Stuff like the Naldinis is a reasonable value for the price when it sells for around $300 but $2000? Â Show me the store where they are selling them for that because I got some ties to sell their customers for the low low price of $400 each. That said - who cares what he has in the title because he isn't selling them for $2000, at the $200 price he's selling them for it's cheap. Some suits I see out there of similar quality are being sold in the malls for 4 times that so if you want a NWT suit for $200, those Naldinis are made from nice material, styling looks good and while the pick stitching is machine done it looks better than most $200 suits. Heck, most $200 suits have a care label that says "Machine washable" and are made from polyester. For $200 you are just not going to buy a new, canvas constructed and handsewn suit - especially not from Italy. At any rate, an honest seller, if they care about thier business, will be more upset by a fake than the buyer. Â As far as I am concerned if I get fooled it totally ruins my reputation and would embarass the hell out of me. Confession: Â Chuck got fooled big a couple weeks ago - we started Jill's mom an ebay business to keep her busy and offset those $2500/mo of uncovered chemo expenses and being the dutiful son in law (Jill's mom is awesome) I went looking for handbags and promptly bought a fake Dooney & Bourke. Â OOOPS. Â Note to self: Â Chucky old buddy, you are not real bright. Fortunately, you can't knock off an Oxxford. Â As I've joked before, no matter how hard you beat those 10 year olds in a sweatshop you can't make'm sew straight. The ladies' stuff is a lot easier to fake. Â It's mostly overpriced and made cheaply from utter crap. Â One good way to protect yourself with menswear is to study how it is made. Â Here's a picture I did for the guys on AskAndy one night when we were talking about fusing versus handsewn canvas interlinings:

 

[MilanoStyle]

My dad bought it for me on ebay, heres the linkarmani suit on the picture of the inside tag you can see its not sewn on, but the suit fits really well just like the ones in Saks which is what makes me think it might be real and even if its not I still like the fit.

This particular Armani Collezioni suit is fake IMHO. I own one Armani Collezioni MTM suit and 5 dress pants. and before I did the MTM suit, I look many different models of Armani suits. 1) Armani DOES NOT do flaps on the jacket pocket. 2) Made in Italy plastic tag which comes with Big white Armani Tag on the jacket 'should be' squared shape and say Armani rahter than made in italy. 3) Check the stitchings in side jacket seams, all the stichings should be hidden. 4) Check zipper of the pants. What does the engraved word say on the zipper? It should say 'A2', if it says anything else.. its a fake. I ordered Armani Collezioni suit from EBAY. I told my seller that its not real Armani suit .. and he gave $$ back. I told him I am gonna send all this news to his clients ..

 

[Carlo]

Got a note back from the seller and he certainly seems like a nice guy who is working hard and not screwing anyone.  My thinking is that to have over 4000 feedback rating with 100% positive he must be taking care of folks or his feedback would reflect that.

Seems like he is getting a little bit of a bum rap - if he was selling Naldini for $2000 I'd say he was asking way too much but he's selling them for $200 so while it ain't 90% off it is less than you'd get it for at Marshall's unless they had them on Clearance.

Seriously - look at his feedback, if he wasn't straight it would not be as stellar as it is.  It clearly upset him that this thread exists - not in a hostile way but in a 'Yeesh, I'm offering a good value and working my tail off to make my customers happy so why are people who don't know me taking shots?"

...seems like a reasonable question.

Now if you were to discover it is indeed a fake then you should expect the seller to fix it and do a refund. ...I think it is pretty rare with suits overall though.

 

[tsloop]

He does seem like a really nice guy, the only thing that I thought was weird was that the tag was not sewn on when I thought it would be, but I didnt really pay attention to that when I was in Saks.  The thing about the fake Canali is what got me worried.  It seems to me like it would probably be real because if I was gonna fake an Armani suit I wouldnt go to all the trouble to make sure it fit exactly the same in size and cut as an armani and had a perfect looking COA and hanging tags, because that seems like a lot of work for something that would probably be caught when it got tailored anyway.

 

[aybojs]

It's not his fault so much as it is the general situation of eBay. The fact is that there are just so many rip-offs on eBay, be they outright illegal (fakes), legal but flagrantly deceptive and dishonest (the "Zegna" people), or just little white lies (using the $2000 mark to lure people to your Naldini, even if you are offering the product at the relatively fair price).

It sucks, but when you're dealing with that kind of money in that kind of environment, I think you have to look at everything with a skeptical eye and assume that everything's got a catch until you prove it legit. But if he is a nice guy and the suits in question are authentic, then I would genuinely feel bad about raising the question marks.

 

[MilanoStyle]

Thats why I am so hesistant to buy suits on ebay .. I am always gonna 2nd guess about athenticity.

Faking fused suit is so simple. u just get cheap $100 suit and put which ever designer label and sell it for $500.

I donno about faking hand made suit labels like Brioni kiton Attolini borrelli though.

But, once u own a particular suit label, u can spot a fake right away. Feedback is usless. Avg. population don't even know what's real Armani, Canali, or Zegna is like .. They just know the name etc.. Also .. in Ebay .. people are more worried about delivery speed. So as long as they get their item in time .. they will give a seller A+.. Most of them will not question athenticity cuz they have no clue what authentic Armani Zegna Canali look like.