How to Authenticate a Dior Book Tote
Christian Dior is a brand famed for pioneering feminine silhouettes and must-have handbag designs.
The Christian Dior Book Tote was inspired by a drawing from the 1967 Dior archives and shot to cult status soon after its release in Spring/Summer 2018. Since that time, counterfeits are plenty, but don't be fooled.
The Handbag Clinic have detailed how to authenticate a Christian Dior Book Tote to help you avoid the super fakes…
Sizes
Since the Book Totes’ initial release in 2018, Dior has brought out three other sizes and the full range now includes these sizes:
- Large (42 X 35 X 18.5 CM)
- Medium (36 X 27.5 X 16.5 CM)
- Small (26.5 X 21 X 14 CM)
- Mini (22.5 X 15 X 6 CM)
The Side and Base View
Viewing the side panel will show you whether the sizing of the tote is correct.
The bag is designed to be a spacious and roomy tote bag, to fit your everyday essentials in. However, counterfeits are often narrower and the side stripes therefore don’t follow the symmetry of the rest of the bag. The base of the Book Tote is a strong indicator of its authenticity. The seam lines that secure the structure of the bag should be discreet and not boldly stitched. Your eye shouldn't be able to obviously notice these stitches but if it can, then it's more than likely the case that a counterfeiter has done a clumsy job and you should avoid the bag at all costs.
Serial Number Tab
Serial Numbers on a Christian Dior Book Totes, when crafted by the brand themselves, will be in a unique font with uniformed positioning and format that represents the immaculate nature of the craftsmanship that has gone into every authentic Book Tote.
The serial number will start with two numbers followed by two letters of the factory code. These will be spaced slightly apart with a hyphen and followed by the date. The format should read as (00-XY-0000) and any date prior to the bag's release in Spring/Summer of 2018 will be an obvious fake due to being released in 2018.
Interior
What would you put in your Christian Dior Book Tote? Despite the obvious pull to secure it as our summer beach bag, we couldn't resist using it as our every-day handbag to fit everything in from our laptops to lunch and makeup to heels (for when 17:00 comes around).
On an authentic Book Tote you will see again that the interior is very spacious (to cater for those snacks and essentials) and the tone of the interior embroidery should be a cool baby blue tone, not warm cream/beige tones or deeper navy tones like the counterfeits often push.
Interior Label
The logo will be hot stamped on the leather tab in metallic gold. The tab should be perfectly rectangular and have rounded corners, neatly finished in black edging. On a genuine Book Tote, the Paris text will appear in a small, thin font and the MADE IN ITALY will be comparatively bigger.
Embroidery of Canvas
The canvas of the Dior Oblique Book Tote originates back to 1967, when it was released in a multi-coloured black and peach design. This iconic print now comes in the traditional Oblique Dior logo as well as the Toile de Jouy design. Amongst other limited-edition styles, Dior recently released a Calfskin version, providing a matte aesthetic for minimalist lovers, and we're huge fans of this design at The Handbag Clinic.
Each embroidered design takes over 32 hours to craft and consists of over 1,000,000 stitches, which should give the appearance of being hand embroidered rather than factory machine stitched.
It’s important to look out for the Dior Oblique canvas being sharp, neat and not smudged. Although the font overlaps, you should be able to read every letter clearly. Whilst it may seem obvious to check the uniformity of the stitch lines, it's an element that's often overlooked. If the stitch line wavers from a straight 180 degree line, then this is a clear give away of the items in-authenticity.
Handles
Christian Dior Book Totes are renowned for their thickly rolled handles. They provide further support for the bag and enhance the longevity of the item, which if you're anything like us, you will pack everything but the kitchen sink into your Book Tote and need all the support you can get.
The rolled handles should be joined in the centre by two stripes of navy blue thread, which join seamlessly at the base rather than looking like two lines stuck together, as they often do on the counterfeits models.
The Christian Dior Logo
The Christian Dior Logo on the front should be bright, narrow and tall, with each letter symmetrical and perfectly straight. The S’s and I’s on the counterfeits often have untidy edges that tend to slope off to one side, if you're unsure of this being the case on yours you can secure piece of mind from our experts today.
Additional Items
A genuine Dior box has a gently embossed leather grain and is a very soft matte finished White Cardboard. The DIOR Logo will be metallic gold foil in block capital serif font.
Whilst authenticity cards are a good indicator of a bag’s authenticity, it is common for people to lose the card and care guides which come with the bag; therefore, we do not rely on these to prove authenticity and use other methods in addition to the serial number.
For Dior Book Totes, authenticity cards will be a contrasting metallic silver with the black Dior font, whilst on the reverse a matte finish (which you can easily write on in biro), with space for the Boutique stamp and date of purchase. There should be a grey materials booklet with a white Dior logo and the dustbag will be crafted from a high cotton thread, with the soft grey Dior Font in the centre.
SHOP AUTHENTIC DIOR TODAY
If you’re still not sure on the authenticity of your Dior Book Tote and prefer to have our experts assess your item, we’re here to help. View our Authentication Services here.
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