Prada Guide Part 1

The Prada Handbag Guide

Prada handbags are one of the hardest types of bags to authenticate. It's impossible to say that a bag will "Always" have this, or "Never" have that because things change as new styles are designed. Replicas are also getting better and better every day, making it harder to distinguish between an authentic bag and a fake one. For those reasons I can't guarantee anything, but hopefully  with this guide you will have a better idea of what to look for, and what to look out for.

Prada's  Exterior Logo

Most handbags have the Prada logo outside, usually in the center on the front of the bag. The logo can vary, but is often the triangle plaque. The Prada logo plaque will be firmly attached with neat, even stitching, as well as rivets on all three corners of some styles. The rivets on newer bags will be completely filled in, while older styles will look like donut holes.  

The color of the plaque will match the exact color of the bag or be very close. The letter R on the Prada logo will be curved with a notch taken out of its right leg. The letters will all be uniform in placement, size, and spacing. The plaque will have a nice thickness to it, and the logo is slightly raised. Some styles of Prada handbags have an embossed logo instead of the triangle logo.

Warning Signs:

        A straight right leg on the letter R
        A thin, flimsy plaque
        Plaques attached with tape or glue

Prada's Interior Plaques  

Prada bags will have also have a logo plaque on the inside of the bag.  The Prada plaque will usually be made of enamel, but can be a leather patch. The color of the enamel will match or be very close to the color of the lining. The plaque will have a rim around it (gold, silver); this will match the hardware of the bag. If the logo is a leather patch, it will be attached with four rivets. The plaque will firmly be attached on all sides, and you should be able to feel a piece of backing material underneath it. All four corners of the Prada plaque will be rounded. The letter R will usually be curved, but a few newer models have a straight leg.

 Warning Signs:

•      Logos that are misspelled

•      Thin, flimsy plaques

•      Plaques that are not firmly attached

   

Prada's Zippers

The zippers can also be very helpful in determining a handbag’s authenticity. Prada only uses high quality zippers from Lampo (with and without the lightning bolt), Ykk, Riri, Opti, and Ipi. These names will be embossed on the back of the zipper. Older bags used plastic zippers on the inside, but newer bags use mostly metal zippers on the inside and outside.


Warning Signs:

•         A zipper from any other company

•         A zipper that is flimsy

•         A zipper that does not zip very smoothly

Prada's Interior Lining

A lot of Prada handbags will have its signature interior lining. This is the Prada logo repeated horizontally throughout the lining with a symbol that looks like a fancy sideways S ( For example: Prada~Prada~Prada~). Other possible linings are smooth calf leather (vitello), satin (raso), and nylon.


Warning Signs:

• Misspelling of the name Prada, or an entirely different word

• A cheap, flimsy interior fabric

• Stuffing in the bag such as newspaper or colored tissue

Hopefully these hints will help you in determining the authenticity of Prada bags. Part 2 will discuss more things to check including the hardware, materials, and authenticity card.