One of the easiest and fastest ways of determining if purse you have in your hand is genuine leather is the sniff test - if it smells like leather it probably is. So don't be shy - sniff away! If it smells like plastic, it probably is plastic.
Faux leather can look so similar to the real thing and with a designer name can be priced high enough that it's difficult to tell at first glance if it's real or not. While yes, looking for the "Genuine Leather" tag is helpful - if you're trying to quickly sort through goods at outlet stores or even the sale pile usually "chaos" is the way everything is organized. Since digging for the tags on each bag can be time consuming or very difficult to find, I've often gone with the quick sniff test instead.
Some simple rules of thumb:
1) Soft matte leathers and suede have the most obvious leather smell. Patent leathers can be trickier and may not have as obvious a smell.
2) Expect to pay a good deal more if it's really an exotic leather (crocodile, snake etc) though most items you see in stores are merely leathers with a croc or snake print on them.
3) Some manufacturers will mix leather and faux leather on one handbag to lower the overall price - so inspect carefully!
4) Check that all the edgings are finished - exposed edges are rather similar to seeing raw edges on cloth. It may be part of the "designers vision" but it probably also means it won't last very long.
5) Do a final check on the origin tags before purchasing - Italian, Spanish and Brazilian leathers often tend to be the softest and most well made but will also fetch a price premium.
P.S. I realize some gals out there actually prefer faux or "vegan" leather - and the sniff test works just as well in reverse to filter out real leather.
P.S. I realize some gals out there actually prefer faux or "vegan" leather - and the sniff test works just as well in reverse to filter out real leather.
with my personal answers below.
