How to Tell a Genuine Prada Purse

If you are shelling out a large sum of money for a Prada purse, then you want to make sure that it's the real deal. Use these guidelines to inspect your Prada Purse and make sure it's genuine.

Instructions

1. The easiest way to tell if you have a genuine Prada purse, is if it came with genuine authenticity cards. An original Prada purse should come with at least 2 cards and sometimes a 3rd card explaining how to care for it. The plastic credit card looking one should contain the Prada logo, statement of authenticity (in Italian) and a magnetic stripe. The second card is black with Prada embossed on the front and contains the model number (should match other card), bar code and serial number. Both cards should come inside an envelope with the Prada logo embossed on the front and all the descriptive information on the cards should accurately describe your purse.

2. A genuine Prada purse should also come with a dust bag. On the inside of the dust bag, there should be a label stitched in the bag that says, "PRADA" and "COTTON MADE IN ITALY".

3. Next visually inspect the zipper and buttons. They should all be the same color - silver, gold or rose-gold. The buttons or snaps should all have the Prada logo on them and the zipper should have markings on it that indicate that it is a high quality brand like Lampo, IPI, Opti, riri or ykk. The zipper should demonstrate that high quality by zipping smoothly and easily.

4. Inspect the lining on the inside of the purse. The lining should be made of a very high quality material like satin, leather or ultra suede and should have the word "Prada" running horizontally across the fabric. The lining should be stitched in, never glued, and the seams should not be visible.

5. Inspect the Prada name plates. The color should match the purse. If you have the triangular logo on your bag, make sure that the lettering is slightly raised. If your bag has the rectangular looking name plate, the corners of the rectangle should be rounded. Inspect the Prada lettering on the plates and make sure the size and spacing of the letters are perfect. Check the letter "R" on the name plates and make sure that it has a curved leg and not straight. This can be difficult to tell, so don't go by the R alone, but use all the information gathered from your inspection to tell if your Prada purse is genuine.

6. Examine the overall quality. The stitching should have perfect threading and no loose threads. As stated earlier the buttons and zipper should be of a high quality and the same color, but also make sure that the color is coordinated with the bag and the lining.

7. Finally, where you purchased your Prada purse can tell you a lot. Genuine Prada purses are sold in high end department stores and are quite expensive.