Is it Real? NO! A Fake Hermès Scarf

Well, is it possible to tell a real from a fake?  
                  Sometimes!

I have a real Hermes scarf, "Cliquetis", in orange/red.

So when I saw this one there were lots of red flags!

There is no need to shout the brand!  

Hermès puts their brand in subtle places.

The real Hermès copyright is in the bottom left white square.

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My guess is that the copier of the original scarf did not understand penmanship.
The writing is awkward.

In the fake above, the printing of the circles shows gaps.

The real one shows smooth penmanship.

 Notice the very elegant signature of the designer, Aboudie, in the real scarf.

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For some reason, the fake scarf has the white bars across the bottom and side.  

The copier completely missed the point of the white bars, there to contrast the white arcs.

The links don't make sense in the fake one above.

In the fake scarf, the label says Hand Sewn - this is not a phrase used on genuine scarves.
Also, putting "Hand Sewn" on machine stitched hems does not make them hand sewn.

Additionally, the hems are rolled backward from the genuine.

In real ones, the hems roll toward the "good side", and the tags are attached to the "back".

So what do you look for to spot a fake?

Tags:  There are lots of sites on the web showing genuine tags over time.  Early ones just said 100% SOIE on a white tag.  Later ones are different.  If the scarf you are looking at has a tag, check out the images for genuine tags.  And since many people remove the tags, other clues are needed.

Hems:  Genuine scarves are hand rolled, and hand stitched, with the roll toward the good side.  Tags are attached with usually three stitches at one corner.

Color:  As many as 39 separate colors may be used.  Forged scarves often leave out or simplify.

Silk quality:  Jacquard (damask) scarves are rarely faked since the process of making the base fabric is expensive.

Compare:  Google helps find other identical scarves - just be careful not to compare a fake with a fake and conclude it's real!  

Websites:  There are also excellent websites to educate yourself.  Here is a compilation of many images of scarves, and it's searchable.  Carre de Paris is fascinating and has excellent photos. 

eBay has removed the listing for the fake scarf shown above, 

which had been identified as authentic, 

so it is not possible to credit the photographer of the fake. 

And it is no longer available for sale.

Hermès Scarf Splurge

Alas, none of these pics are mine, 

but are posted by the sellers.

I guess I've been dreaming for a while of a Hermès Silk Scarf.

As you probably have noticed, I am a bit frugal, so I decided to look on eBay.
Some of the more "reasonable" ones are in Asia, and with the current health situation, I was concerned about importing from there, so I limited my search to the US.
But according to my research, there are lots of fakes, not just in Asia, since people all over the world buy from other places.

It would be nice not to get ripped off!  One of the more difficult patterns to fake are the ones printed on Jacquard silk.  (We also call that "damask".  I love a white damask tablecloth.  The fabric is pure white, but the design is woven into the fabric.)  Because of the weave, it would be difficult to duplicate cheaply.  So I have limited my search to the Jacquard fabrics.

Here is the corner of one that I found.  It's called
“L’instruction du Roy en L’exercice de Monter a Cheval”

This photo is taken by the seller.  Can you see the rearing mounted horses in the fabric?

(Upside down on the nearest layer shown.)

The title translates to "Instructing the King on Riding a Horse".

It is based on a book of horsemanship written in 1620.

https://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/346449/2/linstruction-du-roy-en-lexercice-de-monter-a-cheval-part-i

This scarf would date to 1993.

There will be no photos of the above scarf.  I got outbid.

Well, the item I bid on, "Cliquetis", has not been shipped yet, as far as I know, and I'm getting impatient.

D has been looking, too, and we agree that the "Luna Park" scarf is stunning.

So we found another scarf:

It measures 90cm on a side (35 inches). 

This also dates to 1993.

Looking forward to seeing it in person.  I hope it drapes as well as this photo (by the seller) implies.

It's harder to see the damask design in these photos.

You are looking for a fireworks starburst.

I have blown up a portion of a picture, and that may help.

Or maybe not.

Do you see a starburst between the flagpole and the green ribbon?

Looks like I'll be on tenterhooks for a while.

I'll add to this when they arrive.

2/6/2020

The first scarf arrived.  It is lovely.  (photo by seller)

The rest of the pics are by me.

The color is a vibrant red-orange.

It drapes beautifully.

 Good thing I am no longer teaching middle schoolers!

There are lots of tutorials on youtube to study tying!

Today we got 8 inches of snow, so we were stuck inside.

It was fun playing with my scarf!

The seller offered a nice price for this scarf:

I hope it is as stunning in person as it is on the computer!  The title is "Napoléon".  The damask figure is the bee.  It was designed by Philippe Ledoux for Hermès in 1963 (and reissued in 1963, 1985, 1989/90, 1997, 2002/03). I do not know how to date this one.

To see the other Hermès scarves I have blogged, click here.