Read the label before you pay for the story.
Sourced label-and-tag intelligence for the great houses — the same protocols the Scout runs on every listing, published in the open. Two sources or it ships as rumor; where a tell is collector-lore, we say so instead of dressing it up as proof.
6 tells
Maison Martin Margiela
What do the circled numbers on a Margiela label mean — and what year is mine?
Read the protocol7 tells
Alexander McQueen (the Lee era)
How do I tell Lee-era McQueen from Burton-era — and is the hair label real?
Read the protocol7 tells
Helmut Lang (the personal period)
Is my Helmut Lang from the personal period (本人期) — or post-2005?
Read the protocol7 tells
Raf Simons
Is my Raf original or Archive Redux — and which label era is it?
Read the protocol7 tells
Hedi Slimane (Dior Homme · Saint Laurent · Celine)
How do I date Hedi-era Dior Homme — and is 'CELINE' without the accent his?
Read the protocol6 tells
Yohji Yamamoto
What season is my Yohji — and is it mainline or Y's / Y-3?
Read the protocol6 tells
Comme des Garçons (+ Junya Watanabe)
How do I read a CDG product code — and what does the AD year actually mean?
Read the protocol6 tells
Ann Demeulemeester & Dries Van Noten
Is it 'Ann by Ann' / 'Dries at Dries' — or a successor-era piece?
Read the protocol6 tells
Marc Jacobs (Perry Ellis · Louis Vuitton · Heaven)
How do I date a Marc Jacobs–era Louis Vuitton — and is a 'grunge' piece real?
Read the protocolOr skip the homework
Drop any listing into the Scout — it runs every protocol on this page against the label, the tags, and the seller's story, and hands you the verdict.
Scout a pieceThe Dispatch
One letter when the canon deepens. No noise.