To break it down there are different levels of replicas and many of you are familiar with the term “1:1” which essentially means a mirror image replica to the original.
It is important to stress that price does not always guarantee a better rep! Yes different sellers will have different quality reps from different factories (we all know 187factory by now Im sure) but replicas are often made in batches so where one person may find a great replica from one seller, another person may purchase from the same seller and get a slightly different bag from a different batch. So it’s necessary to know what to look for in the price point you are comfortable spending.
Quilting: For classic flaps and boy bags the higher the stitch count the less puffy the quilts will be. Authentic Chanel reps are in the 10 stitch per inch range and most reps will do a good job at having a high stitch count. For different leathers such as caviar and lambskin in the classic flap the quilting will look different. The edge in the lambskin is more seamless where the edge of the bag in the caviar will have a border.
The quilting should also be uniform in the classic flap and the diamond pattern should match up when the bag is open/closed and the back pocket should blend in seamlessly into the bag.
CC Lock: The CC lock on double flaps should be even in size and the right C should always overlap the left C. This being said the CC should not be puffy against the leather as well. The CC should be flat with the corners squared off rather than round.
Chain: The Chain on a Chanel classic flap should be thin and be able to go through the grommets with ease and it should have a fair amount of weight to it. Of course when viewing rep bags via photos this would be hard to tell so my best advice is to be weary of bags with chains that are thick in appearance as they will be stiff/difficult to transition from cross body to over shoulder. With the boy bag the chains are opposite in the sense that they should be slightly thick and the links should be close together.
Leather: Chanel leather will change from season to season to the emphasis on the leather for rep bags should be on its appearance and if it is structured. This is especially true for caviar bags where the leather should have a slight shine in appearance and be sturdy without feeling overly stiff. My rule of thumb generally is that caviar leather from afar in photos will have a sheen but have an overall flat look to it where lambskin is often more shiny and appears more rounded without looking overly puffy.
The classic flap should also be lined with leather and the boy bags are lined with canvas. The red leather lining is only in black classic flaps and should be a deep rich red rather than a bright or brownish red.
My best advice is if you are able to go into a Chanel boutique in person you should to see the small details up close and also test out the style to see if it is something you can see yourself wearing before investing in a rep. Source
