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!