How to Spot a Fake Stella McCartney Falabella Handbag Circa 2012.
There are many, many, dupes of this bag - buyer beware!
But, if you’ve found one that you think is the real deal, before you make that purchase…. read the below and also check out my review
I have even counted the number of dots in the logo! This is the level of detail I am giving in this guide you beautiful people. That’s right people…. count the dots. This logo has not changed, I have a Stella McCartney camera bag from 2021 and the amount of dots per letter are exactly the same. This is the same everywhere on the bag, the hardware and the lining. I promise you… counterfeiters do not care about the lining logo… count the dots and you will know instantly.
The Material
This bag is made of ‘matte vegan Shaggy Deer fabric with semi-gloss grain’. It is incredibly soft and shimmers in the light. This is a signature fabric of Stella McCartney. It has the feel of a slightly thinner, grainer, suede. Look closely at the pattern of the material below - does the bag you want look like this?
On counterfeit Falabella’s the material feels a lot thinner (like you could poke an acrylic nail through it) and feels a lot softer, but softer in a lesser quality material way,
Date Code - 2012 format
Stella has changed the date code/style code and supply code format many, many, times - so you absolutely have to pay close attention . You need to ask yourself does this format match the year the bag is claiming to be made?
If you go onto the Stella McCartney website and look at the Falabella range. The item ID still features this sequence, which is the style code W9132 in the middle.
This is printed on my tag:
261063
W9132
Then on the reverse side you will see the item number and the date code.
Item 495151
FW12
The Chain
Personally, I think counterfeiters cannot match the quality of the Stella McCartney chain. This chain has serious weight to it. It is very heavy, anything light and flimsy is just not Stella.
The iconic Stella McCartney chain is a diamond cut chain. This does not mean that the chain has diamonds in (I wish) it refers to how the chain has been cut. It is called a ‘Diamond Cut’ because the pattern of the chain has flat surfaces on either side which sparkle and reflect the light when it hits,
Each link chain is 1.5cm (h) x 1.3cm (w) and 0.5cm thick.
Cotton Stitching
The cotton which secures the chain in place is officially called ‘Waxed GOTS-certified organic cotton lacing’. The cotton lacing looks like 4 plaits next to each other all interwoven.
This cotton lacing is impressive. The chain which is fixed to the side of the bag - DOES NOT MOVE. It does not bend from side to side, It barely, barely wiggles. It is fixed onto this bag tight. (if yours wiggles and moves around easily - step away from the bag)
The fact that the cotton is waxed means it is waterproof - but the faux suede is not. (note: waterproof to a point - its not going to stay dry in a downpour)
Also notice how the black stitching along the top is almost invisible.
Interior Zip
The back of the zip is blank.
It has a tiny 5 in the middle.
The diameter of the disc measures 2cm
The Stella McCartney logo has the exact number of dots as mentioned below.
The lettering is placed 1mm in from the edge
The disc is fixed to the zip by one oval loop and one circular loop.
On the oval loop you can see the join where it has been soldered. But on the circular loop there is no join. There is no break.
Count the Dots
That’s right people…. count the dots. This has not changed, I have a Stella McCartney camera bag from 2021 and the amount of dots per letter are exactly the same. This is the same everywhere on the bag, the hardware and the lining. I promise you… counterfeiters do not care about the lining… count the dots and you will know instantly.
S - 14
T - 9
E - 13
L - 7 [The L's have short tails]
L - 7 [The L's have short tails]
A - 7 [The A is not a full A, the additional dot is directly in the middle 3.5 dots up],
M - 17
c -10 [Lowercase]
C -13
A - 7 [This is facing the opposite direction to the other A]
R -14
T - 9
N - 15
E -13
Y - 9
The diameter of the disc measures 3.5cm.
The disc is fixed to the chain by one oval loop and one circular loop.
On the oval loop you can see the join where it has been soldered. But on the circular loop there is no join. There is no break.
The lettering is placed 2mm in from the edge around the top where ‘Stella Mc..’ is placed, but then it moves to 1mm around the ‘Cartney’. I know that is a tiny detail.
Interior Lining
The Magnetic Closure
This features the Stella McCartney logo. Again, count the dots! Also, notice the dots do not bleed into each other.
The Magnetic Closure is also very strong, and you have to open the bag with a tug
The Stella McCartney Foil Stamping
Please do not be worried if the Stella McCartney foil stamping has rubbed off over time. This is totally normal Stella lightly stamps her bags and it does rub off - just look at mine.
But you can see where it is meant to be positioned.
Stella McCartney runs along the top
Made in Italy is at the bottom in the centre
I hope this helped. Happy preloved shopping
Love Alice xx
