After the Gucci Soho Disco bag, this section of B101revue’s ‘Ultimate Real vs. Fake Gucci Bag Guide’ series presents a popular offering from Alessandro Michele at the time he took the helm at Gucci.
The Gucci Dionysus bag with its tiger head closure references the myth of the Greek god Dionysus when he transformed himself into a tiger to carry a young nymph across the river. This then became the Tigris river.
Carried by the fashion-savvy, the Gucci Dionysus launched a thousand knock-offs.
With this guide, we will be applying the lessons from our guide for tips to differentiate between a fake and authentic Gucci Dionysus bag.
Monogram Pattern
Fakes are getting better with their bags. As you can see from the monogram canvas below, they are learning how to line up their GG patterns.
However, if you look closely upon this Gucci Dionysus medium bag, a few details are amiss.
If you run an imaginary line from one end of the flap to another, you will see the cut-off GG on both ends. There are also 11 sets of GG from end to end.
For the fake bag, you can see that it is lopsided. This is one thing you should look closely at when buying bags online.
However, admittedly, some fakes do get this right like what we mentioned in Gucci material section of this guide.
Chain Handle
Inspecting the chain handle, it gets easier to distinguish a real and fake Gucci Dionysus bag.
Similar to a Chanel bag that is usually intertwined with leather, the chain handle of a Gucci Dionysus will most likely dig on your shoulders regardless the absence of this leather.
Nevertheless, you will notice that this fake has the links of the chain wrong.
There are also some fakes, like the one below, which almost gets the correct type of chain links.
However, upon close inspection, you will see the difference in sheen and finish, as the real Gucci Dionysus’s chain handle will be evenly polished as compared to the finish of the fake one.
It even has some “bubbling” of the metal, as if it was not properly cast and cooled off.
Dionysus Hardware
As mentioned in the first paragraph, the tiger becomes a recurring motif for Michele.
The present-day Dionysus hardware, the untrained eye will not see subtle differences. The details on the real Dionysus tiger head hardware are sharper.
Focus your attention on the top of the head, especially the 10 circular indention on the metal.
Aside from the tiger head, you should also pay attention to the details of the diamond on the top of the curved hardware.
Leather Tag and Serial Number
If you have reached this part from the ‘Ultimate Guide Series’, you know by now that contemporary Gucci bags use rectangular leather tags with two rows of serial numbers.
It pays to review the anatomy of the Gucci logo to know how distinct the Gucci font is on all the markings.
Nevertheless, as we love a fake parade, let us proceed with a couple of fake Gucci tags and serial numbers we are all familiar with.
Even with those very good replica Dionysus bags on the outside get at least one of the leather tags and serial numbers below:
What about the next one? Well, this is tricky. Have a closer look.
For the untrained eye, yes, it might pass as an authentic Gucci bag.
But what we have been always telling readers, it helps to get an ensemble of decisions — stemming from several elements of the bag.
The good fake above came with these fake inclusions, with the Controllato card misspelled as Comtrollato.
But this card can always be lost, and/or discarded, right? Another giveaway is the zipper.
If you remember the post on Gucci zippers, particularly on the D-metal head, you will have more evidence that this is not an authentic Gucci Dionysus bag.
The following leather tags are from authentic Gucci Dionysus bags. These tags came from bags made from several materials e.g. suede, coated canvas, leather, etc., thus making it difficult to discern on some, especially the suede ones.
But if you have already familiarized yourself with the contemporary, rectangular Gucci tags that Gucci is currently using, then you will gain more confidence in authenticating your next Gucci Dionysus purchase.
A lot of Gucci styles are as popular as the Dionysus these days (such as the Padlock and the Marmont).
The alarming part: we have encountered fake Dionysus, Marmont and Padlock bags getting the leather tags and serial numbers, right? Scary, right? We hope you learned a lot from this ‘Ultimate Real vs. Fake Gucci Bag Guide’.
If you are still having second thoughts, we suggest taking advantage of our Gucci bag authentication service (and other brands) to get that peace of mind you deserve. xoxo
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Jump to any section of this ‘Ultimate Real vs. Fake Gucci Bag Guide’ below: introduction | material | vintage serial number | rounded tag serial number | rectangular tag serial number | exterior | hardware | zipper | lining | seams | vintage gucci & gucci accessory collection | gucci outlet | gucci plus | case study 1: gucci abbey bag | case study 2 : gucci soho bag | case study 3 : gucci dionysus bag |