Lyle & Scott Vintage Polo Shirt – Fake?
Posted on 17. Jul, 2009 by Craig in Blog
As a guy who is rather fond of designer polo shirts I tend to buy a few of the same one but in different colours. All Saints, Ralph Lauren and Lyle and Scott are a few of my favourites.
I have been a big Lyle and Scott fan for a while now, but I’m slowly going off the brand purely because of how popular it has become and how many fake t-shirts seem to be in production.
I have researched the matter and have found a few ways you can spot a fake, so hopefully you wont be one of the people I see wandering around in a shit version of a bloody good t-shirt.
Below is an image, on the right is my genuine Lyle and Scott Polo Shirt, and on the left is a fake off eBay.
Notice firstly the fit, you can already tell the one on the left is not taylored at all. Also notice the difference in the size of the eagle, the one on the fake is about two times the size of the genuine one, and last look at the size of the collar, again this is much bigger on the fake.
Now lets compare the shirts in a little more detail. All the following images can be clicked on to enlarge them.
EAGLE EMBLEM
REAL
FAKE
Notice on the real tshirt the eagle is set inline with the third button down. On the fake, the eagle sits much lower than the third button. The Eagle should be crisp and detailed, the eye should be clearly visible as should the talons (claws) and feathered wings. Also notice the spacing between the buttons, they are much closer together on the fake.
REAL
FAKE
If you turn the shirt inside out you will notice that the on the genuine t-shirt the Eagle emblem is embroided as a seperate item and then stitched into the shirt afterwards, on the fake the emblem is embroided directly into the cotton of the t-shirt.
BUTTONS
REAL
FAKE
The pictures are a but blurry but you can clearly see the real button says Lyle & Scott twice written around the holes, compared with the fake button which has L&S written on it THREE times. The stitching is also more flimsy on the fake and the button is recessed in the centre, the real button is not. When feeling the button, the genuine button has a waxy/oily texture to it, the fake just feels like hard cheap plastic.
OVER ALL QUALITY
REAL
FAKE
You dont even have to enlarge the images to notice the shoddy cut down the side of the fake garment. It looks like it is about to fray even before it has been washed.
LABELS
REAL
FAKE
Notice on the genuine item the size tag is stitched in immediately below the brand label, and on the fake it is somewhat above it.
SPARE BUTTON
REAL
FAKE
The wash label located inside should have a spare button attached to the inside of it, the fake does not. Also the quality again is noticeably shoddier on the fake garment.
TAGS
Take a close look at your tags when you buy the item. The fake ones are usually printed by run of the mill inkjet printers and are not very crisp, the black is not very black and the colours not very bright. The genuine Lyle & Scott tags resembles a small book and is attached by a gold thread and a safety pin. Fakes are usually one piece of card attached by a plastic tag.
After looking at these two I hope nobody else will get stung buying a cheep imitation.
Please leave comments/experiences or any other tips you could give people on spotting a fake!
80 Responses to “Lyle & Scott Vintage Polo Shirt – Fake?”
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Daryl
10. Dec, 2009
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BNWT-Red-Lyle-and-Scott-Polo-T-Shirt-Large-L_W0QQitemZ260520053179QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMen_s_Clothes?hash=item3ca83489bb
Could you tell me if these are fakes please? He states that if not satisfied returns are aloud + money back. + because of the price of the good they will be sent Royal Mail 1st class Recorded Delivery or Royal Mail Special Delivery?
But so cheap??
Please help
!
Craig
10. Dec, 2009
the price seems a bit too good to be true
its gonna cost you about a fiver in postage to send it back, ontop of the 5 already paid… so for the sake of saving 6 quid it wouldnt be worth sending it back really
i think the fit n the buttons look a bit suspect but thats my opinion… i think its probably fake (esp cuz of the price)
its a gamble you have to decide on i suppose. sorry im not much help
if you do gamble be sure to let us know how you got on to help people in the future =)
Chris
10. Dec, 2009
What are wrong with those buttons Craig, the ones I am possibly buying have similar buttons. I’ve looked in real shops selling genuine shits for £45+ and one type of shirt has white buttons.
Craig
11. Dec, 2009
the problem i have with the buttons on that shirt is just the fact that they look like the buttons on my fake
i have created an image to try and justify what i am saying… if you compare my two tshirts you will see clear differences in the buttons…
and a clear lack of a recess on the genuine one…
see this pic to try and understand what i mean…
http://www.craigabbott.co.uk/fakebutton.png
Chris
15. Dec, 2009
Ah, yes, I see what you mean now, thanks a lot. Are there any other problems with them? If it is just those buttons I’ll probably buy some as I don’t think it’s that noticeable.
Craig
15. Dec, 2009
just the fit mate – those ones might be better than mine but mines awful to wear – its just big and square with no shape
the genuine ones tend to make ur phsyique more flattering – in the genuine one i look like a gym goer- in the fake one i looks scrawny as hell haha
i just wear my fake for work its got holes and all sorts in it now lol
its up to you though mate- this posts for advice only, not to tell you what to do =)
good luck – and please come back to tell us how it turns out if you do buy one…
Nick
18. Dec, 2009
Thanks man this helped me loads
Craig
18. Dec, 2009
glad it helped mate =)
Amy
19. Dec, 2009
Hey I bought my lad a polo shirt off ebay, now everything about the shirt you say is ment to be real apart from the eagle symbol being slighly lager.
its stitched in the way you said it should placed where it should be but is just larger. do you think its fake??
thanks
Craig
20. Dec, 2009
there are some that are slightly larger but not huge… the size of the eagle is not a definite reason to suggest its fake. It is just one of the many things to look out for…
as you can see this one
is slightly larger than… this one
but they are both genuine…
Darren Gallagher
21. Dec, 2009
hello there.
i recently bought a lyle and scott polo shirt but i am very unsure if its real or not. would you be able to contact me and i will send photos of my product to see if it is real or not
Tony
29. Dec, 2009
Craig can there be different types of washing labels on the polos like some say made in china some have lyleandscott.com on them etc ?
Tony
29. Dec, 2009
Craig can some washing labels on the polos be different i.e can some say made in china, with all the washing instructions on it and some say lyleandscott.com ?
Craig
29. Dec, 2009
all my genuine tshirts simply have washing instructions with made in china written on… i cannot 100% say that there is only one type of tag sewn into every garment.
Ryan
01. Jan, 2010
My spare button isnt inside the washing tag but a spare button is on it does it mean its fake?
Petra Müller
09. Jan, 2010
Sagt mal, was ich schon immer mal wissen wollte: Heißt es der Blog oder das Blog? Ich bin echt *verwirrt*! Helft mir. LG
Craig
09. Jan, 2010
Tut mir Leid. Ich spreche kein Deutsch.
Nathan
09. Jan, 2010
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320471603191&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Tell me if this is fake please?
Thanks
Craig
09. Jan, 2010
it is hard to tell with so many fakes out there, the only thing concerning me is the buttons… take a look at this as an example to what i mean
http://www.craigabbott.co.uk/fakebutton.png
but if the guy is offering full refunds he must be pretty sure of his sales… you could always ask him if the picture is of the exact shirt you will be buying…
good luck dude
Dan
12. Jan, 2010
Hi mate, i recently purchased a polo from ebay, everything looks to be a genuine ie buttons are oil stained colour, all stitching is quality, eagle is correct size, only doubt i have is the eagle is not in line with 3rd button its inbetween the 2nd and 3rd button. is it fake?
Craig
12. Jan, 2010
nah i wouldn’t have thought so, depending on the size of the shirt the eagle can move around slightly…
mats
21. Jan, 2010
http://www.finn.no/finn/bap/object?finnkode=20531150
fake?:S
T
04. Feb, 2010
hi i just bought a lyle and scott top off ebay…
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250571854115&_trksid=p2761.l1259
is this authentic as it is merina wool am not really sure on the tags it says HKK? i askt the seller and he said that he gets them off his supplier like that please can you let me know
Thankyou
Craig
04. Feb, 2010
with the prices he is selling his items at i would be wary of their authenticity. but Lyle and Scott do make jumpers using merino wool…
did he say who his ’suppliers’ were?
Serena Griffith
08. Feb, 2010
Hi Craig, your info is so helpful!
Ok basically, I purchased a Lyle & Scott hat, scarf and gloves set for my boyf on Ebay, it was a bidding item, initial bid price was £36.00 for the whole set (hmmm), end price and price we paid was £47.00.
However, when the goods arrived, something about the appearance made me a bit sceptical, everything was separately bagged in clear, sealed plastic bags with Lyle & Scott on the bottom, the Eagle appears to be very large on everything, it’s very detailed as in you can see the separation of the feathers etc but I’m not sure if this indicates fake or real deal?
The gloves are very tight and seem to be fraying at the join between the thumb and index finger, the labels have http://www.lyleandscott.com on the bottom and a black label/booklet is attached with a yellow thread. The eagle on the scarf is placed on the upper blue line, whereas in some pics I have seenit’s on the bottom line…not sure what to do as I know my boyf will not want to wear a fake!!
Help!
*cant enclose pics as at work at the moment! lol
Serena Griffith
08. Feb, 2010
Me again…ok this is a black set the seller has at the moment
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LYLE-AND-SCOTT-MENS-BLACK-YELLOW-SCARF-SET_W0QQitemZ120527369141QQihZ002QQcategoryZ52382QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Didnt you say the label/booklet should be attached with a safety pin?
Dec
09. Feb, 2010
hi have recently purchased a orange lyle and scott cardigan from ebay i have looked at your fake tips i have noticed the only fault is it has alt of white seem around the eagle emblem but the seller ensured me it was real i was dissapointed to find that it was fake as i wanted the real thing THANK YOU for all fake tips i found them very helpful in checkin whether my cardigan was fake what do you think is should do about it should i talk to the seller? wb hope you can help
Dec
Craig
09. Feb, 2010
Hello Serena
I have had a look at the page, and what worries me is the fact that the seller does not once mention whether the items are 100% authentic or genuine. He mentions what they are made out of but, that is about it. I could get my Grandma to knit you a scarf and tell you what its made out of. But it wouldn’t be authentic lol…
You should trust your own instincts, if there is something about them that isn’t quite right, even if you cant put your finger on it, chances are you are correct.
The seller states you have 7 days to return the items for a refund. Personally, I would simply return them on the grounds they are faulty as they are fraying like you said…
The seller also makes out they are helpful and approachable, so if you don’t want to return them, take the seller up on what they says by asking them questions. however they might just stall replying to you until your 7 days are up.
If they are fakes, your boyfriend and his mates WILL know…
Thank you for taking the time to get in touch…
and good luck
Craig
Craig
09. Feb, 2010
Hello Dec,
Sorry to hear about your experience.
If you were sold something under a promise it was genuine and it is not then you can take steps to getting your money back, however it is not always possible.
You can take the items to your local trading standards or a reputable dealer and get it confirmed as a fake, if possible get written confirmation, this is your evidence that you deserve a refund on the grounds you state. The problem is with trading standards is they only have the ebayers email address and if they dont reply or delete their account they cannot really take it much further, or choose not to.
Contact ebay and Paypal immediately, tell them whats happened and that you want a refund. The sooner you inform them the more chance you have of the transaction evidence still being on ebays/paypals accounts, and also more chance of the seller still operating on ebay
I am sorry to hear about your experience!
Be sure to let us know how you get on
Regards
Craig
Bob
18. Feb, 2010
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=260551969867&view=all&tid=0
i bought this item off ebay the other day im not sure if it is real or a fake can you help cheers