Genuine Vs. Fake Vintage Clothing - as part of the Women's Style series by GeoBeats. A good way to identify and tell the difference between a fake vintage item and a real vintage item is to look at the tag. The tag will tell you everything. The tag will tell you the era, where it was made, and who made it. If you are looking at a tag with a union label, you can be assured that it was vintage and that it was made in the U.S. When you are looking at the tag of that clothing and you need more information, you can go online and do an Internet search. You can get lots of information from the label, from the tag. If you are looking at a tag that has a union label on it, you can be assured that it was made in the U.S. and that it is vintage. Another good way to tell vintage is to look at the fabric and the material. Vintage items had no spandex in them. Many vintage items were made from fabrics that were not blends, such as a 100% rayon, or just straight nylon, or 100% wool. Today with technology, we have so many different fabric blends to support us and to give us a little bit of Lycra and stretch in our clothing. That is another good indicator to let you know that that item is vintage. If it does not have any give or stretch and the cotton is a little bit stiffer or starcher, you will know that item is vintage. The only reason I can think of someone trying to reproduce a vintage item and make a fake is if the item is a designer item. I have heard of people sewing labels, taking labels from one item and sewing it onto another, so you always want to be aware of that. If the label is loose or the sewing is shoddy. You also want to look at the detail and the way the item was made. That will always be your indicator. The item should be fully lined. The stitching should be by hand, or French stitching. That is another good way. If you want to tell the difference between a counterfeit and a vintage item, you just need to look at the detail. The detail and the quality will tell you over. If you see a tag that is made in China, it is not vintage and it is not real.