Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Like you, I do a lot of frugal shopping in thrift and consignment stores. I’m particularly partial to handbags but I have trouble telling the real leather from faux, which can (and often does) look really genuine to my eye. Many of the thrifts where I shop mark most purses for under $10 so — since leather is expensive — I would think that they’re vinyl. But I also think that the volunteers who price these items don’t really have the time or knowledge to test them and I wonder if some of these handbags are the real thing priced ridiculously, deliciously low. Any tips for telling real leather from fake?
— P.D.
Dear P.D.: As vegan purses and accessories become ever more popular, the quality of faux leather (nonanimal) is getting better and better and harder to distinguish from animal skin. Here are some tips that the experts use:
Touch: Real leather has an imperfect surface, not uniform. Look for minor imperfections such as wrinkles and scars. Also, press hard on the surface in question. The wrinkled pattern will disappear or diminish and return when you release the pressure. Fakes won’t change when pressure is applied to the surface. (For examples of this, check out this site.)
Smell: Real leather might have an earthy scent. However, not always, since chemicals used in treating the real thing can mask the smell of real leather.
Sight: Check the stitching on seams or zipper. Real leather holes will have slightly uneven, rough edges that look like suede. Fake leather stitching holes are identical and uniform. If you can see the edges of the purse where two pieces are stitched together, leather will be rough and raw-looking.
Absorption: Real leather will absorb liquid (like a drop of water); fake just puddles the liquid.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Is there anything one can do for the hands and arms that give away our age even more than our faces and necks? Not only do I have wrinkles but also unsightly freckles that make me look like I am out in the field digging for crops. When my mom and sisters had occasion to do just that my grandmother made them wear long sleeves and hats.
— Susan L.
Dear Susan: Age, sun and gravity are the culprits here. A dermatologist or aesthetician can help with advice to lighten or remove those freckles but there’s no magic solution. There’s a reason “mature” women favor sleeves or opaque fabrics on the arms of their dresses, especially formal attire. Hands are a real age giveaway, even if plastic surgery has done wonders for your face. Use sunscreen, even on a dreary, cloudy day and don’t forget to rub it on your arms and the tops of your hands.
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: My 80-year-old mother is attending a low-key family wedding over Labor Day weekend. She thinks she needs to wear a skirt, but I think she should go in what she feels best in — including a nicely coordinated Alfred Dunner pants ensemble! Who’s right?
— Want the Best for my Mom
Dear Want the Best: You’re right. Mom should wear whatever makes her feel her best and pants are totally acceptable with a pretty top. Some brides choose pants instead of a wedding gown and they look fantastic and modern.
Angelic Readers
Elizabeth H. writes, “In our local paper today there is a question from someone wanting advice on sheets you had previously recommended. In your answer you suggested buying sheets with the ‘lowest thread count you can find.’ That is the wrong advice. For sheets, the better the sheets, the higher the thread count. So your advice should have been “the highest thread count you can find afford.”
Ellen replies: Thanks for an opportunity to clarify. I was writing about Pinzon’s sheets that I buy on amazon.com. I favor crisp sheets like I remember from Grandma’s house. Low thread counts (200-300) are perfect for those. If softness is your preference, higher thread counts are what you want.
Reader Rant 1
Ann W.: “To your reader Betsy, who said she doesn’t ‘like’ the look of untrimmed facial hair and ‘man buns’ (etc.), we read you loud and clear. But you know who does like it? The folks ‘sporting’ the look! And here is the really cool thing … everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That is pretty much the main reason we live in America, yes?
“I lived through the ’70s, when dudes decided to grow their hair long to – basically – emulate their sisters. Eh, I have to admit I didn’t ’embrace the look,’ but I’m pretty sure other folks were also saying ‘Hey, gals, those short skirts you’re wearing are offensive and make you look cheap!’ Oh, bother … your opinion is your opinion, and just that (end of narrative).”
Reader Rant 2
Karen: “I have noticed in looking through clothing catalogs that many times plus-size women who wear 1X, etc. are charged more for their clothing. Sometimes $10 or more. I don’t have that issue but I am very annoyed by it and think it goes in the category of body shaming! Shame on these manufacturers who already charge enough for their clothing!”
Now it’s your turn
Send your questions, rants, tips, favorite finds — on style, shopping, makeup, fashion and beauty — to answerangelellen@gmail.com.
“How to tell real leather from fake leather?” This is a fairly common concern for those who are planning to buy leather for the first time. However, there is no need to worry. We will help you how to well real leather from fake leather apart from one another. With these simple tips and tricks, you will feel like a leather expert in no time. Telling them apart will never be a problem ever again.
The Dagny WeekenderBefore we go on talking about how to tell real leather from fake let us first talk about the reason why you should tell them apart.
It is amazing what science can do. Because of science, we can replicate leather without using animal skin. These copies are known as fake leather. However, they are better known as faux leather. Faux leather looks like real leather. Likewise, it feels like real leather. However, faux leather is not as good as real leather. Real leather is strong, durable, and it ages with beauty. While faux leather feels and looks similar it is not as strong and as durable as real leather.
There are also issues when it comes to using faux leather. While both are prone to wear and tear, faux leather tends to crack and peel off. While these problems also occur for real leather, it is likely to occur especially with proper care. It is important to tell real leather from fake before these problems occur.
Another reason why it is important to tell real leather from fake leather is because of the many ambiguous marketing terms used by companies to sell their products. For example, it is a common practice to brand a product as genuine leather or “made with genuine leather”. This is however often made to mislead consumers. The truth is these products are only partly made with real leather. Therefore, it is always important to tell real leather from fake and get what you pay for. At Steel Horse Leather, we only use Full Grain Crazy Horse Leather for our handmade leather bags.
A Faux Leather Hand BagWhen the time comes when you decide to invest in leather make sure to buy the real thing. Avoid those misleading marketing schemes and get what you pay for. Here are some tips and tricks on how to tell real leather from fake leather.
This may be one of the first things that you should do when trying to buy leather. It may seem obvious but it actually helps. Leather manufacturers take pride in what they produce. Therefore, it is only right to tag or label their products as real leather. If the label says “100% leather” or “full-grain/top-grain leather” or “genuine leather” then you are on the right track. Fake leathers also have labels and tags on them. Some may truthfully say that it is made with synthetic materials. If you see “man-made material” on the label it is a sign that it is fake leather.
Just a reminder however that checking the label will guarantee that the leather is 100% real. This is because companies like to mislead their consumers. Some might have labels such as “made with genuine leather” but are not purely real leather. Therefore, while check the label is a good practice it is sometimes not enough.
Check the price. While everybody loves a good deal, sometimes they are too good to be true. Of course real leather is much more expensive than faux leather.
Another way of telling real leather from fake leather is by using your basic senses. While the goal of faux leather is to imitate real leather the best they can there are still things it cannot copy.
Sometimes telling them apart is obvious especially by just looking at it. If you look close enough you will see the difference between real leather and fake leather. For real leather, you will notice that its surface structure is not completely uniform. It will often have scars, blemishes, and other imperfections. This is because it is made of animal skin. And they say that no animal skin is exactly the same.
Fake leather on the other hand will have a uniform surface. This is because it is made from a machine. You will notice that fake leather will have a uniform texture pattern. It can sometimes be deceiving therefore you should also rely on your other senses to help you tell real leather from fake.
While faux leather tries to feel as similar to real leather you can still tell them apart. Real leather is an organic natural material. Therefore it will not be as smooth as you think. If you notice, real leather is like your skin. Thus it will definitely stretch and have wrinkles on it. This is important because sometimes faux leather will give off that wrinkly and rugged look which can sometimes be deceiving. Better confirm the wrinkles by feeling them.
Next is by smell. Faux leather will most likely smell like plastic. This is because it is made of synthetic materials such as PVC. If you smell plastic or a chemical odor coming from the leather then it probably is fake.
Real leather on the other hand will have a distinct “leathery” smell. Since it is organic it will definitely not smell like plastic.
Fake Leather" src="https://images.storychief.com/account_5346/DagnyWeekenderonBrick_c773c6c8e3398710cb124b8bbad2804d_800.jpg">Dagny Weekender - 100% Full Grain LeatherIf you wish to learn more about faux leather, PU leather, and bonded leather please click on the following link to be redirected to our Journal.
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