REAL V’s FAKE! How To Authenticate A Chanel Silk Scarf

How To Authenticate A Chanel Silk Scarf

My friends! I am so happy to share this post with you! Today I am going to give you a side-by-side comparison of a real and fake Chanel scarf. I go in to detail showing the different characteristics of a real Chanel scarf, compared with a fake Chanel scarf. We discuss the silk twill, the hand rolled edges, the logo, print quality and overall finish. I really believe that by the end of this post and the video, you too will be able to authenticate a real Chanel scarf, or at least spot a fake Chanel scarf. Also, a lot of the information in this post and video, is transferable to other luxury silk scarves, so if you are looking at a Hermes scarf for instance, a lot of the details are very similar; for instance the heavy silk twill, the hand rolled edges, the print quality and the logos. Anyway… without further ado, let’s deep dive into the world of luxury designer scarves!

Also, a huge thank you to Meg Randell, the designer handbag and Fashions Expert at Bonhams for her assistance on this post. I’m so happy to have a specialist like her to give me guidance, so I can give you the best knowledge possible! OK! On with the post!

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Is It Silk Twill?

When I’m looking at a Chanel scarf, the first thing I look at is the silk they have used. A Classic Chanel silk scarf will be made of silk twill and a fake will not. If you look closely at he images, you will see the real Chanel scarf has tiny lines going through the fabric. This is the silk twill and it is a sign of a high quality silk, it’s the same they use for a mens silk tie. Silk twill is quite a heavy silk, so the scarf should feel a little weightier than a high street scarf or replica scarf. You might also notice that the real Chanel scarf has a slightly less reflective or shiny surface than the fake Chanel scarf, which will almost look a little reflective by comparison. Finally, when you touch the fake Chanel scarf it will feel a little more slippery than the real Chanel scarf. For example, when I was filming my video, the fake scarf kept slipping off my knee and on to the floor, where as the real Chanel scarf had much more grip. Similarly, when you knot a replica scarf around your neck it might need to be re-tied throughout the day, where as the authentic scarf will stay tied for much longer periods of time. Also, the silk twill is far less likely to snag, so if you do see any ‘run’s or ‘snags’ in the scarf, that could be an indication of fake-ness too.

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Are The Edges Hand Rolled?

The hand rolled edges are another HUGE clue to the authenticity of your scarf! Chanel’s classic silk scarves will always have a beautifully hand rolled edge. If you look closely at the image above, you will see the real scarf on the left has a ‘rolled’ edge with not a single stitch exposed; the thread is perfectly concealed within the roll and the stitches are all perfectly evenly spaced. This is the stitch of a skilled seamstress and it’s a time consuming and expensive finish to the scarf, but in my opinion, totally worth it. If you look at the replica scarf on the right, you will be able to see the machine sewn hem with exposed stitches and more of a flat, folded edge. Hermes will also always finish a silk square with a hand rolled edge, but some ‘luxury’ brands will use a machine finished edge to cut costs, which I hate. I know I sound like a silk square truther, but if you are going to charge £200 for the silk square, finish it properly with a hand rolled edge!

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What’s The Print Quality Like?

Next up, another way how to authenticate a Chanel Silk Scarf. If you look closely at the images above of the fake Chanel scarf, you will see the print quality is pretty poor. On the chain detail; the yellow of the chain overlaps the black edge, giving it a ‘coloured outside the lines’ look. Similarly, on the boarder where the navy meets the white, you will see the line isn’t quite right either. It’s not that obvious on first glance, but Chanel would NEVER allow that past quality control! This is also a general rule for authenticating Chanel, their quality for EVERYTHING is perfect, from the packaging of their bronzers, to the handbags and shoes. If something doesn’t seem top quality or perfectly right, that’s a sign you need to investigate further!

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Look At The Logos

Next, let’s look at the logo’s and fonts. In the middle image, you will see the letters ‘C H A N E L’ printed around the edge and this, to be fair, looks pretty good. The font is pretty spot on and the spacing between the letters looks good. However, the tell tale sign is the logo in the bottom corner of the scarf. Firstly, they have added ‘Paris’ underneath ‘Chanel’, but more horrifying than that, they have used the complete wrong font! Just looks at the side-by-side comparison above, the font is taken straight off a Word Document! It’s laughable! Also, further to my previous point, the print quality of the fake logo here isn’t quite crisp enough. On the real scarf you can see the sharp print quality even on the finer details and it’s perfectly crisp and perfect, where as on the fake scarf, the print looks like it’s bleed slightly into the fabric. It should be a sharper, crisper finish… it should also be the right font. *Face palm!*

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The Overall Finish Should be PERFECTION!

Finally, the overall finish of the scarf should be perfect. The scarf should look and feel like a high quality, luxurious accessory. At the end of the day, we are literally talking about a piece of silk retailing for £300+ and it should feel like it’s worth the money. When you hold it, it should feel like an heirloom and something which can be worn and loved for decades to come. In all honesty, the fake scarf I have is actually a pretty good replica compared to others on the market, but it still feels like a £20 Topshop scarf rather than a £300 Chanel scarf. Every single element of the scarf should be beautiful; From the perfectly crisp print, to the heaviness of the silk, the grain of the twill and the impossibly neat hand-rolled edges. As for the print, it should be crisp, perfect and if you want to get really nerdy, the colours should feel ‘right’ too, perfectly considered shades which have been perfectly mixed rather than look like they are ‘right out of the tube’.  Anyway, please look closely at the images, a picture truly does equate to a thousand words and make sure you watch the video too!

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Watch My Video On How To Authenticate A Chanel Silk Scarf

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Go Shopping!

♥

…And there we have it, how to How To Authenticate A Chanel Silk Scarf! I hope you like the comparisons between the real and the fake versions, if you have any questions, please do let me know!  Also, you might want to check this post out on how to authenticate Chanel jewellery. This post contains affiliate links.