What we write about
The Journal started as a way to answer the questions we hear most often at the counter. People come in with bags they bought elsewhere that they're not sure about. They ask about the difference between a vintage Chanel piece and a current one. They want to know whether a particular label is worth collecting or just worth wearing. We've been answering these questions in person for two decades, and writing them down seemed like the obvious next step.
The focus is practical. Authentication is the category we know best — after handling thousands of designer pieces across every major house, we've developed a real sense of what genuine looks, feels, and weighs like, versus what a well-made counterfeit is doing to imitate it. That knowledge is worth sharing, because the secondhand market has grown large enough that buyers who don't know what they're looking at are regularly taken advantage of.
We also write about the fashion houses themselves — which eras produced the strongest pieces, which vintage labels are undervalued right now, and what the current resale market looks like for collectors and casual buyers alike. This is the knowledge that comes from running a shop in the same neighbourhood for twenty years, not from following the resale market on a spreadsheet.
Recent writing
Louis Vuitton Monogram: Authentic vs. Counterfeit
A photo guide to the specific details that separate a real LV monogram bag from a fake — canvas alignment, date codes, zipper hardware, and the stitching counts that counterfeiters consistently get wrong.
Read the guide
How to Spot Fake Designer Handbags
The full authentication guide — leather, stitching, hardware, and brand-specific checks for Chanel, Gucci, LV, and Prada. Everything we look at when a bag comes across our counter.
Read the guide
Vintage Designer Labels Worth Collecting
The houses and eras where vintage pieces outperform modern ones — in construction, materials, and value. A practical guide for collectors and buyers who want to shop with purpose.
Read the guide
Authentication: the core of what we know
The authentication guides here are written from direct experience, not from copying what's already online. Counterfeits have improved significantly over the past decade, and the advice that circulated five years ago is increasingly unreliable. We update what we write as we encounter new challenges at the counter — the superfakes showing up on the resale market, the new patterns of authentication errors that fakers haven't yet solved, the brand-specific details that remain genuinely difficult to replicate.
The general authentication guide covers the principles that apply across houses. The Louis Vuitton photo guide goes deeper on a single brand, with specific detail on the monogram canvas. More brand-specific guides are in progress.
Vintage labels and collecting
The vintage market has changed considerably in the past few years. Pieces that were overlooked five years ago have become genuinely sought-after; others that were considered investment-grade have softened. We try to keep our writing current with what we're actually seeing on the floor and at estate sales. The vintage labels guide is the starting point for anyone thinking about collecting with purpose rather than just buying what looks good.
Consignment buying
Beyond authentication and labels, there's the practical question of how to actually shop consignment well. Which categories offer the strongest value per dollar, when during the season to shop for the best selection and pricing, how to evaluate condition, and what to do when you're unsure. The consignment finds guide covers the categories where we consistently see the best value, and there's more on the way.
From the shop floor
The Journal is also where we'll write about what's happening at the boutique — the pieces that have come through recently that are worth knowing about, the labels having a moment, the trends we're seeing in what Sacramento consignors are bringing in. This is the living, ongoing conversation of a shop that has been in the same neighbourhood for twenty years and isn't going anywhere.
If you have a question we haven't addressed, or a piece you'd like us to write about, send a note to [email protected]. The answers that come up most often end up becoming the next post.