Having recently gone through the process of returning not one, not two, but THREE fake Lacoste polos that were advertised as "100% AUTHENTIC LACOSTE POLO" blah blah blah, I thought it would be a good exercise to point out some things to look out for when shopping for Lacoste polo shirts on Ebay. 1)Pin the crocodile on the polo...The first and most obvious sign that you have a fake Lacoste polo on your hands is the placement of the croc itself. On a real shirt, you will find the croc positioned between the bottom button and the placket of the shirt. Most fake shirts place the croc even with the placket. If you have a shirt with the croc lined up with the placket, you have a fake- there are no exceptions to this rule! If the seller is including real pictures with their auction, this is easy to spot BEFORE you bid- so keep it in mind. As far as the croc itself, it should be well defined, with sharp teeth and distinct feet. It should NOT be bloated or distended in any way, shape or form.2)Speaking of buttons...Lacoste polos come with mother of pearl buttons- these are organic- meaning they're harvested from living things- meaning you CANNOT have two identical buttons. Ever. If your polo has two white buttons that are plastic, you have a fake Lacoste. If your buttons are identical, you have a fake Lacoste. The colour of the buttons will vary depending on the shirt colour- some come in white, some in the colour of the shirt, etc.- but the one constant is that they are NOT plastic buttons. The buttons also should not have ANYTHING on them- no logo, no text, no nothing. Another thing I noticed with all three of my fakes relative to a real shirt were the button openings- the real shirt has defined horizontal slits- the fake shirts looked like someone had used a hole puncher to open them up.3)Tags and bags don't tell the story...Don't be swayed by declarations of poly bags and authentic tags. Anyone with a printer and a manufacturing facility to make fakes can make these.4)But tags sometimes tell you something...Look at the tag inside the collar of the shirt. It should be white, with LACOSTE at the bottom, the croc above, and the size, in NUMBERS, in the upper left corner. If your shirt has letter sizing, you have a fake. If your shirtLook closer. The croc should have TWO distinct eyes- the fakes only have one eye. An authentic Lacoste shirt will have a Devanlay tag on the inside of the shirt in the torso area- it can be on EITHER side, depending on where you bought your shirt and where it was made. Not ALL Lacoste polos are made in Peru- I have an authentic polo that I purchased in France at the Lacoste store, that was made in Morocco- it would appear that most North American polos are made in Peru however. 5)The proof is in the shirt...Real Lacoste polos are SOFT. Very soft. They use a very fine weave, and are fairly thin. They are not bulky, and they are not heavy. They FEEL expensive. If you have doubt, it's probably a fake. Other things to look out for are the collar- it should be fairly thick and sturdy- you should be able to pop the collar fairly easily, and it should STAY UP. Also, the cuffs of a real Lacoste shirt have broader ribbing, and also are substantially thicker than the rest of the shirt material- if it feels flimsy, it's fake! Two more small notes- the placket will be an ENTIRE rectangular piece on both side of the shirt, sewn in neatly- fakes don't do this- and the hem of the shirt, specifically the cut points at the side, should not be distended and should appear equal- these shirts aren't expensive just because of the logo- they are MADE WELL when they're real.6)If you're not sure...Ask for more pictures- up close high resolution shots of the LACOSTE tag, the Devanlay tag, the weave, the placement of the croc, the croc itself, and the collar area. A reputable seller won't hesitate to do that for you. If they don't- don't bid. It looks like the overwhelming majority of shirts on Ebay are fake. If it's sold in lots, it's probably fake. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Check feedback scores, particularly for 'fake' complaints. There are some VERY good fakes being sold- they will have the croc in the right spot, the buttons will look good, etc., but invariably SOMETHING is wrong with them (the tag for example). If you don't care about 'authentic', then go right ahead and buy away, but if you're looking for REAL stuff, your best bet is to buy from an authorized retailer from a real store.Hopefully this clears up some further confusion. Good luck!
Orignal From: Spotting A Fake Lacoste Polo Shirt or Jumper!!!!
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