… and I don’t mean in a “take it out for a nice dinner and buy it two martinis” kind of date.
I mean, in a how can you tell what year your Balenciaga bag was made way.
In a time when buying vintage Balenciaga is on the rise, it’s important to know if you’re getting the real “vintage” deal.
It can become a little complicated to find out what year your Balenciaga bag was made.
… but here’s how you can figure it out.
(FYI, there’s a TLDR that I moved to the end.)
Before we start, when I refer to F/W or S/S, that means Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer respectively and includes ‘pre-season’ bags as well.
Also please note that the tag is sometimes the easiest way to authenticate a Balenciaga bag, but it’s also the smallest part.
I’m only covering Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga, because I don’t agree with the recent creative directors’ ethics and/or extracurricular activities… and Nicolas’ were the original motorcycle bags anyways.
Metal Plate Tags
This is the easiest way to find out what year the Balenciaga bag was made.
From F/W 03 (D) onwards, bags had a metal plate* tag.
On the metal plate, after the item’s number there is a letter.
That letter corresponds to what year your bag was made.
Under that line, is the Style Number/Code to identify the style of bag — City (115748), First (103208), Weekender (110506), or, from F/W 05 (Z) on, Work (132110).
Only select bags* have metal plate tags — if you see a small leather good with a metal tag, it is fake.
Regarding dating on metal tags, it goes beyond the letter on the tag…
Styling of “Balenciaga Paris”
Up until F/W 05 (Z), the tags read Balenciaga_Paris.
Then, from S/S 06 (Y), the tags would read Balenciaga.Paris.
Until F/W 08 (S), the tags were made from real sterling silver and they had a stamp on them to prove that.
*Besace (only F/W 03), City, First, Weekender, and Work (from F/W 05 (Z)) — all other bags, small leather goods, and “male” bags only have leather tags (“male” bags also have pewter/silver hardware). Special edition City, First, or Weekender bags sometimes only have a leather tag.
Hardware
Starting in F/W 02, Third Season, Balenciaga introduced “raised” hardware.
Raised hardware (RHW), is like the classic motorcycle bags that you think of when you think “Balenciaga motorcycle bag.”
From S/S 03 (no letter tags) until S/S 04 (C), all hardware was pewter (or silver) hardware.
With exceptions here and there, going forward from F/W 04 (B) all bags had brass hardware.
Want the 411 on all Balenciaga Bag styles…?
Rivets
So “rivets” are the back part of the studs that epitomize a Balenciaga motorcycle bag.
To tell how old your bag is, the easiest tell are the rivets.
From the very first Balenciaga bags until F/W 04 (B), the rivets were smooth at the back.
Including F/W 05 (Z), the rivets are notched.
S/S 05 (A) was a mix of both smooth and rivets with a notch on them.
Zipper
The very earliest Balenciaga bags used YKK zippers, but later moved onto Lampo zippers.
If you find a bag with a YKK zipper and you’re confident it’s authentic, congratulations — you hit the vintage Bal jackpot and should take your winnings and leave the casino ASAP (i.e, check out of that website quickly).
Until F/W 03 (D) the Lampo branding on the underside of the zipper was a zippier kind of font face.
Then, in S/S 04 (C) they want to an autograph style.
Mirror
We don’t really know why Nicolas Ghesquière decided to add a mirror to his bags, but he did!
From S/S 02 (Second Season), all Balenciaga bags included a mirror without a pocket.
From F/W 03 (D), the mirrors had a pocket.
… until F/W 08 (S), when the mirrors became pocketless again.
Note: Only “woman” bags include mirrors.
”made in italy”
Post-2011, the “made in italy” stamp on the back of the tag is all in upper case.
Like I’ve said before, I collect vintage Balenciaga largely to appease my teenage self.
Actually, almost everything I do in life is to spoil the part of my heart that’s still sitting on the patio at Da Silvano with a plate of rigatoni focaccia in 2007.
Sure, this light obsession borders on pathetic, but…
Within these bags is a return to the frivolity; sense that anything is possible; a lightheartedness that only youth can harness.
… because with enough time, patience, and a subscription to The Real Real First Look, beautiful Balenciaga bags can be yours.
If you have any questions, please feel free to follow & DM me on Instagram — I’m always down to talk about vintage Balenciaga!
Note: Replica Handbag and Jewelry Shopping uses affiliate links which costs you nothing… but means a lot to me. When you use these links, the money Replica Handbag and Jewelry Shopping earns gets reinvested in blog content. Absolutely nothing on Replica Handbag and Jewelry Shopping is “gifted” or sponsored, I purchase each item with my own money. Affiliate commissions are used to purchase new items to honestly & thoroughly review. If you found this review helpful, consider using them to support Knockoff Handbags Jewelry Wholesale.
All of this information was compiled from years of research and a lot of time spent on The Purse Forum.
TLDR
Mirror: Pocketless from F/W 08 (S)
Rivets: Notched after S/S 05 (A), which was a mix of both
Tag: Balenciaga _ Paris, until F/W 05 (Z)
Balenciaga . Paris, after F/W 05 (Z)
Metal Tag: Sterling silver stamp until F/W 08 (S)
NB: Later tags also include a colour code that indicates exactly what colour your bag is — this is helpful especially for leather tagged bags… which I’m relatively useless at figuring out what year they were made.
You might also be interested in…
