As you are aware, its winter here in the Northeast and that means one thing: it’s Ugg season. I realize they’re a polarizing footwear choice, either you love them far more than is healthy or you think they epically fugly and ridiculously overpriced. Its probably worth noting upfront that I do fall into the first category. I understand the criticism though, they aren’t particularly flattering for your feet and yes, they are quite expensive.
The real reason I love Uggs though? They’re warm as hell. And you don’t have to wear socks with them. Major win on both counts in my opinion.
I’ve tried other brands of sheepskin boots, but they really aren’t in the same league quality wise. I have a pair of Uggs that have been through 5 Pennsylvania winters, and while they don’t look like new, they still look great and are holding up very well. And they’re still quite warm. So yes, they are overpriced, but you also get what you pay for.
This isn’t just a post about how much I love Australian designed, Chinese made footwear though. If you look on eBay or Craigslist, there are some great deals to be had on gently used Uggs. The problem is, how do you tell without seeing them in person if they’re real? I recently found of pair of Uggs on craigslist that were a pretty good deal. They had only been worn a few times and they looked good in the pictures. Even when I saw them in person I was convinced. Unfortunately, once I slipped them on, I immediately knew I had been duped. I now have a ridiculous amount of probably useless knowledge on how to tell the fakes from the real deal, and I’m hoping it will be helpful to someone. (Btw, I’m by no means a footwear snob, but I also think that counterfeiting is pretty crappy. And, the damn things are too small.)
So then, here we go:
Any idea which one is the fake??
The tag on the heel is usually a great way to tell if the Uggs are real or not. Unfortunately, these were good fakes so they look nearly identical. Something helpful to know is that the heel tag on Bailey Button Uggs is not brown, even though the Classic Short and Classic Tall chestnut Uggs used to have brown tags. So, right tag, wrong boot. (Also worth noting is the bunching of the heel on the left boot. That should not happen on real Uggs, especially after they’ve barely been worn. This has yet to happen to my five year old Uggs.)
Next, the buttons. The first gen, if you will, of Bailey Button Uggs did have a dark colored button. The ones that you can buy from Zappos still have the dark button, and Zappos is an authorized Ugg retailer. The newest ones are a natural wood color though. Also, notice the double stitching on the right.
The soles are usually another great way to spot a fake. These had the correct design, however if you notice, and it is probably hard to see here, the shoe on the left has a design that tilts too far to the left. Also, both of these “Uggs” had been worn a similar number of times, which was very few. There should be very little wear on the sole at this point.
Ahhh, the tag. Again, nearly spot on fake tag. The collage on the left is of the fake/real tag. (If you haven’t ascertained this by now, the fake Uggs are on the left in every collage.) The collage on the right has the fake tag on the left and then a real tag from my oldest Uggs on the right. I wanted to demonstrate how good of a fake tag it was. Its almost identical to the real tag in my old Uggs. The problem is, Ugg does’t use these tags anymore.
Quick photo comparison on some details. Good copies, but definite quality difference.
Also worth noting, the sole on a real Ugg should be flexible at the ball of the foot. If they are stiff and difficult or impossible to bend, they are fake.
So there you have it. I hope this is helpful to someone and that you don’t get tricked by a good fake like I did. And if you are interested in a well-made, size 7 pair of fake Bailey Button Uggs, let me know 🙂
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