No, not that kind of alligator hunting. I would never. (And it would be a little difficult in Arizona in any case.)
No, I'm talking about alligator shirts. As I wrote about a month ago, I've been picking up gently used LaCoste polos from eBay because back when they were the rage I couldn't afford them at $25 and while I probably can afford them now, I refuse to pay upwards of $100 for new one.
I noticed, however, that the third shirt I bought seemed a bit…off. The sleeves were longer than usual, the fabric thinner, and for some reason it had three collar buttons instead of two. It was obviously a counterfeit, a knock-off that had an alligator sewn on the chest, but it was not a genuine alligator. That led me online of course to do my due diligence.
There are several markers of authenticity for the solid color pique shirts, including 2 (not 3) vertically-stitched buttons on the collar, a specific location and pronounced teeth and claws on the alligator patch, a multi-language use-and-care label on the lower inside seam of the shirt, and a two-part label at the inside collar. The buttons are generally white mother-of-pearl, but they also apparently used a dark mother-of pearl with darker colored fabrics and color-matched buttons at times. So…based on all this, of the 6 shirts I've purchased, four are most likely the real deal and two (including the most recent one I bought) are most definitely not.
Caveat emptor.