Famously quoted, Coco Chanel, embodies the busy woman. Intentionally designed, Chanel shoes are as versatile as they are beautiful. Pumps transition from the office to evening drinks. Ballet flats equally suited for meetings or the mall. Indeed a whole closet (and lifestyle) can be completed with only a handful pairs of Chanel shoes. Unfortunately, its iconic status invites unwelcomed imitations. Here's tips on how to distinguish real from fake Chanel shoes. 

S T Y L E  N U M B E R 

Little known, most Chanel shoes have a style number printed on the interior of the shoe, as shown below. Note: some strappy sandals omit the style number because there is not enough room to print—this is the outlier situation, however. 

B R A N D  M A R K I N G 

Even heavily worn shoes, should still bear faint signs of the brand marking in the insoles which, as show below, is comprised of the CHANEL word mark and interlocking CC logo. The brand marking will be foil stamped (in the same color as the hardware and style number) or blind debossed. 

I N T E R L O C K I N G  "CC"  L O G O 

Many Chanel shoes are adorned with the brand's famous interlocking "CC" logo. Double check that the logo is accurately presented—meaning the right 'C' overlaps the left 'C' at the top and the left 'C' overlaps the right 'C' at the bottom. Both 'C's should evenly sized with the same width throughout as shown below. 

A U T H E N T I C I T Y  C A R D S 

Unlike Chanel bags, Chanel shoes do not come with an authenticity cards. Watch out for fraudulent sellers trying to up-sell a pair of Chanel shoes' authenticity by touting an authenticity card. 

M A D E  I N . . . 

China? Turkey? Then it's fake. Chanel's authorized shoe factories are located only in Italy, France and Spain (for espadrilles). Check the "Made In" labels to verify the location corresponds to an authorized factory location. 

M A T E R I A L S

Known for quality, Chanel incorporates an array of materials from durable leathers (like lambskin or calfskin), to fabrics (like canvas or satin), and explores less popular materials like crystals, pearls, and lace. Inspect the material (and fabric disclosures, if any)—imitation leather, synthetic fabric and other low-quality materials are telltale signs of a fake. 

C O N S T R U C T I O N 

Chanel shoes are thoughtfully constructed. For example, the two-tone cap-toe was intentionally designed to elongate through the nude-colored body of the shoe while shortening the appearance of the foot with a dark-colored cap-toe. Therefore, any unexplained stitching is cause for suspicion. Beware visible pilling or bubbling from ill-constructed seams and imitation lace (cutting out of the fabric as opposed to fabric knotted into unique patterns). Hardware used on Chanel shoes are always securely affixed—never glued or loosely stitched. 

Love Chanel? Want more? Shop authentic Chanel shoes along with all your other favorite brands at The Revury!