La Cite Cavaliere Hermes carre

As with so many Hermès designs, La Cite Cavaliere carre by Marsal Octave from 2019/2020 immediately captured my imagination.

Hermès La Cite Cavaliere Silk Scarf – Designed by Octave Marsal 2019/2020 (personal collection)

Perhaps it was the etching style of this whimsical map of Paris before me, that immediately took my mind back to the many fond memories I have of the City of Lights. While in New York visiting a dear friend, my daughter and I wandered around Chelsea, when I asked, “Want to see what’s new at Hermès”? As soon as we walked into the fashionable Chelsea boutique, we were drawn to the glass counter with its numerous folded carres below. Collectively, our eyes settled on the La Cite Cavaliere. For the Inspiration for this design, please visit my previous blog.

And as much as many of the colorways were difficult to resist, there was one, that undeniably stood out from the rest…

The reason for this post however, is not to write about this absolutely captivating design, but to bring attention to the FAKEs that have begun to infiltrate the market.

Please find below photos of one such FAKE and photos of an authentic Hermès La Cite Cavaliere in the stunning colorway of Green Clay and Steel Gray.

I hate to admit that this is a rather “well” made FAKE and one that at first sight can easily fool the best among us. It was one of my dear friends, a longtime Hermès collector herself, who in her haste and enthusiasm to have found her very own Green Clay colorway, mailed it to me. As soon as I held it, I noticed the feel of the silk as being lighter and somewhat “silkier” than I have learned to expect. This of course peaked my interests and curiosity immediately and I fetched my authentic La Cite Cavaliere.

Of course once one knows what to look for, the differences become rather “obvious”. Hopefully these side-by-side photos will help you navigate and discern what is the real deal. If not, I am always happy to provide Authentication Services for a nominal fee.

Left is a FAKE, whereas on the right is a photo of my authentic Hermès La Cite Cavaliere carre. Please note the difference not just in the colors, but detail of the print itself, the type set, not to mention “quality” and color of the hem.

Left a FAKE, right again, my authentic Hermès carre. Note the “bleed through” on the back side, the hem and care tag on the FAKE. The La Cite Cavaliere was introduced in 2019/2020; by then Hermès had switched to the larger two-sided care tag, the FAKE still has the previously used smaller care tag.

There is no “bleed through” on the authentic Hermès carre on the right, the hem is beautifully hand sewn, and the two-sided larger care tag is the care tag that Hermès switched over to a couple of years ago.

Here a close up of Octave Marsal’s signature. The authentic carre is on top of the FAKE for comparison. Again in this close up the difference in the hem “construction” is not to be missed along with the difference in print quality, type set and detail and of course again, the colors themselves.

I think not much needs to be said here… (authentic Hermès copyright on the left, FAKE on the right)

In this comparison the authentic Hermès carre is on the left, while the crude FAKE is lacking in all that makes an Hermès carre such a prized “commodity”, and as I prefer to refer to the Hermès carre, a Wearable piece of Art.