Spotting a real and fake American Apparel tennis skirt?

Hey guys! 

So here's another one of my guides which seems to be well loved (particularly the Kanken one I did previously). 

I mean honestly, I just don't want people to think they're buying the real deal and pay money only to get some fake stuff. And sadly, I see this a lot on Carousell. Maybe the sellers just don't know, and I guess this is a good guide as to where and how you can purchase the skirt. Let's get started: 

Where to buy: 

1. American Apparel Website (duh) 

Link: http://store.americanapparel.net/tennis-skirt_rsagb300#

So yea this skirt comes in a billion colours and even a plaid print. Obviously the most trustworthy place to buy the skirt from is the AA website. However, I'm well aware of people who don't have credit card / don't wanna pay such a high price for this skirt. 

2. Carousell, Ebay~ second-hand websites 

Now here's where it gets tricky. I definitely have a few tips for you when purchasing from these sites: 

1. If it's "supplier says it's authentic", do not buy it. It's probably not that real.

Oh come on, if the seller can't account for the authenticity of her items, why is she selling it at such a high price? Likely out to get your money because if she thought it was authentic, you really think she's gonna sell it for a normally huge discount price?

2. Authenticity unsure. 

Read below for how before purchasing. 

3. Cut off the tags.

Yup you probably shouldn't buy it. However, one thing you can do is check the wash label (assuming this seller cut off the tag of a real one). And well if she's cut both off, it's either $10 or don't bother buying because it's likely to be fake.

4. American apparel JEANS tag.

Even a blind person knows you shouldn't be buying a skirt with a tag saying jeans. I mean does it make sense for a tennis skirt with not even one bit of denim to have a jeans tag? That's a definite fake. 

Spotting the real one: 

There are a couple of things to note when trying to spot the real one: 

Note that I'll be using some pictures from @eyeslipshoes on tumblr for reference :) 

1. The tag. Should not have jeans on it.

As mentioned above, the real tag shouldn't have the jeans thing on it. 

However, you gotta note that nowadays, even the fake ones have this tag.

2. The wash label (only if the tag is correct).

Unfortunately, even the fake ones have that tag nowadays as shown in the pic below. 

Note that this skirt is actually a fake. How do you tell? The wash label. 

All American apparel wash labels should have the sizing on it. I've almost bought one before with the sizing on it. And how to know if it's fake? I'll show you. 

Although this comes from my crop top, you will notice that the wash label tags should be of the same size and length, made from a ribbon-like material rather than the flaky crumply kind. That's how I knew this skirt was a fake. Furthermore, the font should be exact. A lot of the fake ones may have everything looking right, but the font colour may be faded or even different looking. That's how you really know whether it's real or fake. 

3. Colour (only for the white one really), the pleating and also the transparency. (Might be hard to identify) 

I mean this is hard to tell, and I'm not sure whether it works for all colours but the colour of the white one is supposed to be a solid bleach white. Which means not cream coloured. 

Do you see the colour difference? 

Another thing you will notice is the pleating. The fake one has an awkward pleat in the very middle of the skirt, whilst it's really even for the authentic one. Also, when you wear the skirt it should be opaque an not translucent. The material should feel sturdy, and more canvas like. If it feels like the curtain kind of material, kind of like a very loose and flimsy material (okay this is hard) it's a fake. But this you would only know if you've seen a real one before. Therefore, the wash label and tag combination is really the definite answer.

4. Preorders, pricing? 

If the skirt is around $40+ and above, it's probably a real one (only if it's got the right wash label and tag). A lot of the $20 ones are fake (sorry to disappoint). I mean you gotta know, there's quite a bit of demand for this in Singapore because it's difficult to buy less overseas. $20 is not a price people would be willing to clear their items at for a $54 USD skirt. 

I also don't advise preorders because do you really think there's an idiot willing to lose $70+ SGD for you to help you buy your skirt? As far as I know, the preorders come from online, and the only online source to get so many of this skirts would be the AA website. So play smart. 

I hope this guide helps you when you're finding your dream American apparel tennis skirt  :) I'm still contemplating myself whether to get it, but because I saw the real one in Europe, I know when it's real and when it's not. Till next time :) 

Love,

Khione