How do you tell a fake Chanel jacket quickly? You are browsing eBay, Vestiarie, or wherever, looking for a good Chanel score, and you come across a deal…maybe a too-good-to-be-true deal.
You want to know right away if you should get serious about it or not. The one thing and one thing to scan quickly is the label!
Look At The Label! The Label! The Label!
As you may already know, I have been scammed out of thousands of dollars while buying Chanel online. The one common thing amongst all my fakes is a suspicious-looking label!
The most common authentic Chanel label that you will come across looks like this.
Of course, there are slightly older authentic Chanel tags that look different. Like the one below –
And the authentic vintage labels look like these –
Notice the brand tag size has stayed about the same. The only thing that has changed significantly is the composition, and the care tag has moved inside on the newer jackets.
Also, occasionally, you will spot a couture Chanel tag that looks completely different.
This is authentic but very rare to come across.
We are not talking about couture jackets, and, generally speaking, most scammers don’t bother copying vintage jackets because they are cheaper.
We are talking about the newer Chanel jacket tags that you will come across most often.
Scammers love to copy the newer collections and mainly the high ticket RTW, such as jackets.
Here is what you need to know and remember-
Made in France, Chanel RTW jackets will always have a
- Black or white tag
- Of a very specific size
- Attached at three sides, not 2
- With perfect, even, straight stitching
Examples Of Fake Chanel Jacket Tags
Let’s look at some of the fake Chanel jacket tags that I have come across that are certified fakes. These were deemed counterfeit by professional authenticators.
1. Odd Size
Let’s look at this fake Chanel jacket (on the bottom) vs. the authentic tag on top.
The bottom tag is an odd size. Yes, those sized tags exist, but you will not see them on jackets.
You will see them on cardigans and sweaters made in Spain.
I have never seen this sized tag on an authentic, made-in-France Chanel jacket.
2. Stitched On Only *Two* Sides, Not Three
Authentic Chanel tag is secured on 3 out of 4 sides—top, side, and side. Look at the one below.
It is stitched on only two sides.
This is the most common type of fake tag I have seen. It’s the right color, but it has only two stitched sides, the one on the left.
3. Poor Quality Stitching On The Tag
One thing (amongst a thousand other things) Chanel or any other high luxury brand will never do is do a sloppy job attaching their brand label.
Due to the poor stitching quality, this tag is undone. It was a practically new jacket.
You will also see crooked or uneven stitching on the tag, which is a huge red flag screaming “fake,” so look closely.
Spacing Between Letters
I am no expert on fonts. Not at all. So, I can’t comment on the font discrepancies. I have come across comments such as these below from Real Authentication, even though I don’t have the eye for the font.
What I can spot, though, is the ample space between the letters. Look at this fake Chanel jacket tag.
The lettering is thinner, so it looks sparse. It looks like they are farther from each other.
This requires a more trained eye, so this may not be an easy identifier for a newbie, so be very careful and don’t rely on this for authentication.
Actually, the tag above (white) has almost all the hallmarks of a counterfeit tag.
Acetate Or Other Fabric Lining
In my years of buying and looking at Chanel jackets online, I haven’t encountered even one SINGLE authentic Chanel jacket or any authentic Chanel RTW with non-silk lining.
I have come across at least 2 (fake) Chanel jackets on eBay with acetate lining, which made me laugh a little.
Look at this one on eBay that says “polyester” for the lining. This is a fake. No need to look further.
Chanel does not use cheap, synthetic fabrics like acetate lining their garments. The lining is always silk with an occasional splash of elastane for flexibility.
The jacket is fake if you spot anything other than silk as the lining fabric. Run!!
Poor Quality Stitching
This is a very hard thing to spot, especially when shopping online, even harder if you are new to Chanel RTW.
I spotted this jacket on Etsy in 2023. It’s a $10,000 jacket that was listed for $1800. A red flag immediately! I submitted it to Lollipuff for authentication, and it came back as counterfeit, as expected.
One thing I noticed about this, and even my other fakes, is the puckering of the lining fabric. The stitches are spaced farther apart.
Both those elements are indicators of poor quality construction, which is antithetical to Chanel.
Final Thoughts
Counterfeit Chanel is a high-profit business, so it’s very attractive for scammers.
With super fakes flooding the market, spotting a counterfeit is getting harder and harder. But remember that scammers can’t get all the minute, microscopic details right.
If you learn to spot them, you will be ahead of the game. As always, get your items authenticated by professional authenticators before or after purchase.
Don’t skimp on authentication because, for just an additional $25, the peace of mind you get is priceless.
