Sounds easy enough, but after my last post about the Monogram Manhattan PM picture issue, I got an email asking me to check out a Louis Vuitton Multicolore Manhattan PM.  “Is this authentic?”

It’s a simple rule.  If Louis Vuitton never made a particular style bag in a particular “skin”- then it is just not authentic.  For example, the Manhattan PM is a monogram line bag… only.  It has never been made in any other line.  So, if you see a damier, MC, epi, denim etc. Manhattan PM- it’s fake.

(Caveat- this rule doesn’t apply with special order items.  You can special order many styles in skins that are not available to the general public.  These bags are very expensive to have made- and you won’t find them for $79 - or even $379- on the internet.)

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A thoughtful eBayer asked this question about the fabulous pre-owned authentic Louis Vuitton Manhattan PM that we had listed on eBay last week.

Dear fashionphile,

This Manhattan Handbag is not an Authentic Louis Vuitton…the logos don’t match up on the front. Compare it to picture of the Manhattan PM on eLuxury.

I thought this was a great question- and one that deserved a response on the blog.

And here is the picture from Eluxury that she is referring to:

Check out the pockets on the front… the monogram placement on those flaps, and below the gold-tone closure. Now compare that to the placement of the “LV”s in picture above of the authentic Louis Vuitton Manhattan PM that we sold last week.

Notice the centered “LV” between the handles on the eLux photo… it’s much lower than the “LV” is on the bag that we listed.

There are other subtle differences between these two bags. The Elux bag has a longer canvas section above the pockets… Indeed, it is a taller bag in general, if you count the rows of toile monogram.

So what gives?

I have no idea why… could be that Louis Vuitton sometimes uses photos of the original prototypes in these pictures, or that they’re trying to throw off counterfeiters, or that they’re trying to make it harder for re-sellers. All I know is that there have always been pictoral and descriptive inconsistencies between the products produced by Louis Vuitton and the representation of those items on Eluxury or www.louisvuitton.com.

Notice the advertising spots Louis Vuitton put out of Uma Thurman with the Louis Vuitton Manhattan PM. (Looks a lot more like the picture of the bag we sold than the one pictured on Eluxury & vuitton.com).

The Louis Vuitton Manhattan PM that Louis Vuitton makes, that you’ll find at their boutiques, or at Saks/Neimans or on eLuxury, looks like the authentic Manhattan PM that we sold last week- and the one in the Uma pictures… not like what you’ll find pictured on Louis Vuitton’s websites.

I’ll do more blog posts on other inconsistencies between items that you’ll see on Louis Vuitton Le Catalogue, eLuxury and www.louisvuitton.com and what you’ll find in the boutique.

(Just know this… if you bought it from us, it’s authentic. We offer a 100% money back- plus shipping both ways- guarantee. You don’t have to worry.)

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