In Dutch language
How to recognize Vintage Chanel couture?
How do you know you have find a real Vintage couture piece of art or just a fake copy? On first sight they look exactly the same, they feels the same and it seems too good to be true. It is quite difficult. These days fakes are on first sight as good as the real onces. There is a whole (black) market on luxury brands on couture, jewelry, toys, games and even make-up. Even Vintage and authentic goods are made with such an knowledge and technical materials; it seems almost impossible to recognize real Vintage these days. We talk about couture on this website/blog and specific the French Chanel Couture. More specific the famous jacket and skirt. It is too easy to say that fakes are mostly made of cheaper materials. The quality of the materials, fabrics in this case, are key. Even though fakes can look quite identical, the real couture of course has the luxury of using the best fabrics in the world. But.... the materials of the fakes are coming close; think about leather versus pu-leather. Even though they look the same, leather behaves differently in time and feels like leather should feel.
Let’s stick to Vintage as the new Couture is unlikely to spot in a Second Hand Shop, a flea market or Vintage Shop. The most expensive new couture also has the newest techniques in labeling and sometimes we even wonder if the most expensive garments are chipped or invisible detected to avoid stealing or mis-using. Vintage Clothing sometimes has usage-wear or it is even broken or repaired. Or a cleaver seamstress has already changed or adjusted the garment once. It is surely not completely new, un-used or un-touched. The labels might have been ripped out or maybe the buttons are replaced or just stolen away from it. So it might be very hard to recognize if we are dealing with real couture. Even experts are sometimes having hard jobs to distinguish a real vintage couture coat from a fake one. No shame about it. The copy-industry is really a quality business. But it can be done. You could ask for an expert or take a look at our list.
Apart from these facts at first sight, it is mainly all about the details.
A closer look:The labels: If the labels and sizes are still there: How do they look? Are they clear, no are they real? Do they meet the sizes of the famous logo?
No spelling mistakes or weird place names? It sounds very childish. But onces you have seen the cheap fakes, you know what we mean…. Made in Italy Or made in France? Check, check, check….. Also: does the labels are stitching to the fabric with the same colored threads? Does it match? Is the size or serial-number label stitched to the logo label? It should all be very perfect and it should not look like a hasty last finishing job….
So, sometimes it is loud and clear. Sometimes it is very subtle and the copies of labels are almost perfect.
The labels contains all information about the serial-number, the year, size and even the season.
If there are any LOGO's left: The logoś should be invisible stitched on the garment. Actually you do not get it how they are placed on the garment. It simply does not show, even not on the backside. If the logo, even if they are very subtle, is stitched on the fabric… it probably is not a real couture piece…
Also look at the fabrics mentioned on the labels. Chanel Vintage jackets are not made from polyester or new technical materials. Linings are mostly silk or silk charmeuse. Elasthan or stretch fabrics were not used at all.
If a XS, S, M or L is mentioned on the label: it is very weird. Chanel uses and used European Sizes by number.
The Quilting story: Vintage Chanel Jackets are quilted or quilted by handsewing. This is a time consuming job and the signature on the Chanel Couture. Chanel jacket copies are perhaps very beautiful and perfect clones, but the quilting part is really very typical for the real couture garments. It is missing on the copies.The lining is quilted on the fabric. In no way the lining consist of a quilted lining-fabric to make it look like the real one.Chain weight: Almost always and till know, the famous chain weight is sewed on the inside to make sure the jacket falls appropriately and perfect. Chanel jacket are usually made of lightweight tweeds and bouclé or woolblends. The chain weight counterbalance it's airy weight. Without the chain weight the jacket would be a bit too light and could live it ś own life during movement. A part from its function as balance, it is visual a very beautiful detail as well. On the outside it is invisible, but when the lady is wearing her jacket on her shoulders or the jacket opens; the chain weight looks like a jewelry itself. Copies with chain weight? Not existing.Stitching: The stitching of couture is done by hand. It is quite perfect but also most of the times invisible and done with perfect perfection. And it is time-consuming !!
Copies are of course not handmade and done in fast production time. An experienced eye can should notice. A less experienced eye perhaps as well.
Buttonholes: Buttonholes are handwork. On the fake jackets it is machine-stitched. Buttonholes can be hand stitched buttonholes or bounded buttonholes. In either ways; on the real Chanel Couture, they are pure handwork and made as perfection.
Buttons: They could be real, they could be fake even more. But notice: on a great real vintage piece could be other brands of buttons as well. Do not judge too quickly a piece of real Vintage couture just by looking at the buttons. How knows, maybe they have been replaced because the owner did not liked them, it did not match the total outfit or the money was simply too good to be true. So, do not judge a vintage garment by the buttons only….Chanel once started to produce buttons hand-made mainly from fabric. These couture-made fabric buttons are now very rare. These fabric buttons are often recognizable by the lion's head in the middle. A lot of buttons before the 1970s will actually have a lion’s head embossed on them. Chanel buttons are also known for their logos of the letters C, the perfume bottles and even the famous jackets.
Chanel buttons are ALWAYS of quality and durable material. Metal, mother-of-pearl, rhinestones and jewels. Coco Chanel also used the Camellia flower as Theme. These Camillia flower buttons are mostly black/gold or white.
Real authentic Chanel buttons are (rarely) on the market, because they are produced in small amounts and mostly made to match the unique garments. Vintage real authentic buttons are difficult to recognize because they used to match the garments perfectly. They are very expensive and for a collector of great value. New Chanel buttons do not have stamping on the back. Vintage authentic Chanel buttons have stamping on the back. New Chanel buttons are often copied in China and very similar to the real (new) Chanel buttons.Real Chanel buttons (especially the Vintage onces) are looking like little jewels.
Fake or copy-Chanel buttons are often lighter, of cheaper material and less subtle. Almost any copy-Chanel button is called a real Chanel-button. It all depends on where they are for sale. Do not expect treasure authentic Chanel buttons for sale on big internet selling-markets/websites.... If you can not believe it is real.... it probably isn't....
Color and pattern-matching: Chanel is famous because of its color matching sewing techniques. If a suit is a jacket and skirt; they should be matching perfectly. No way it is a coincidentally combination. The were once made to order; an accidental matching opportunity would be very rare.
If a couture garment has a checkered, checked or striped fabric, as in a Tweed, it is sewed until perfection. The fabric pattern flows beautifully into each other, the pattern of stripes, spheres and checkered, fits perfectly and it is a feast for the eyes. The sleeves or darts, or ease darts, are all perfect processed in the lines. It will be like a piece of art it selfs. The lines are horizontally matching from sleeve till body till sleeve. The sleeves are not lined vertically.
Perfect sewing: The same applies to zippers, buttonholes and brackets. These are all perfect and preferably processed invisibly.
The inside: Of course nobody is going to a Vintage or Second Hand shop with a scissors or seam ripper.
However, it is a fact that the inner side of the garment hides all the elements and secrets that are used in the couture. Special sewing techniques such as dart easing, reinforcements and shaping of the contours, are all in there. Hidden, invisible and sewed until perfection. A fake Chanel jacket probably shows a lot of stitches, interfacings and top-stitching.
Pockets: Real couture pockets are hand-sewed on the Chanel jackets and it look like they are lying ON top of the fabric. If you spot a pocket with top-stitching on the fabric, it does not sound like you have found the real thing….
Shape:
Despite the Chanel jacket's impeccably crafted form, in the early fifties, it represented a radical symbol of freedom following decades dominated by tight corsets and an exaggerated hourglass silhouette with an almost unattainable waist size and pointed high breasts. Initially, the shape of the early Chanel jackets appeared somewhat boxy and masculine in contrast. While Chanel drew inspiration from menswear, she maintained a focus on the overall feminine and elegant look of the suit or outfit.
What defines the shape of a perfect Chanel replica? It's difficult to ascertain. However, observe it from a distance, keeping Coco Chanel's vision in mind to ensure authenticity when identifying a true Vintage Chanel jacket.
Sleeves:
Chanel's original jackets typically feature sleeves comprising two or even three parts. It's uncommon to find a genuine Chanel jacket with only a single arm part. The two or three-piece sleeves form the foundation of the sleeves' perfect shape, contributing to a luxurious, impeccably fitted appearance. Functional vents on the sleeves are equipped with buttonholes, buttons, and perfectly matched fabrics. While replicas may have vents, they often lack functional buttonholes, merely present for visual effect. The attachment of sleeves to shoulders is executed technically and flawlessly. Both sleeves should mirror each other perfectly. In cases where the fabric has patterns or lines, these should align horizontally with the body. The lines should match horizontally from the sleeve to the body and back to the sleeve, rather than vertically.
Darts:
Genuine Chanel jackets either conceal or subtly incorporate darts. Easing darts is a couture sewing technique impossible to replicate by machine or in mass production. While Chanel copies might feature stitched darts, authentic Chanel jackets employ eased darts. These are particularly notable in bust darts - a technique used in couture sewing.
Odor:
It might sound peculiar, but you cannot identify a vintage garment solely by its smell. A true vintage piece may not have the fresh aroma of a newly bought item from a pristine flagship store; instead, it might carry a slightly dusty, old scent reminiscent of second-hand or vintage stores. However, this doesn't inherently signify authenticity. Fragrances like Eau de Cologne, 4711, Noir, Jicky, Creed, Shalimar, and Chanel No.5 are often associated with past eras, but relying on these scents alone could be misleading, triggering nostalgic associations rather than confirming authenticity.
Lastly, consider the purchase source. Acquiring an original Chanel jacket from a major international trading website or a national online marketplace involves risk. While you may stumble upon a genuine treasure, exercising caution is prudent. Even our hypothetical Grandma, if present today, would likely caution us: if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably isn't.
