HOW TO: SPOT A FAKE TORY BURCH CLASSIC REVA (UPDATED)

Tory Burch’s Reva ballet flats are one of the most favorite shoes in the world. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most replicated shoes in the world.

I got my flats for around $170.00 from a sale in Fashion Valley. While I was browsing Ebay one time, I saw tons of authentic Tory Burch Revas on ‘Buy it Now’ bids, and are priced at around $50-$80 only! They look so real! They have boxes, tags, and even paper bags. But with such an affordable price tag, I can’t help but think that there is something fishy with those shoes. Indeed I was right. They’re FAKE.

I was lured into buying fake stuff before. I was so mad because I paid a hefty premium for a frikkin’ fake pair of True Religion jeans. After that, I veered away from online shopping and excluded branded stuff from my wish lists because I was so scared of getting another fake item. But all it takes is a lot of education on how to spot knock- offs.

Screen shot taken from toryburchoutletshops.com

Tory Burch’s Reva flats are comfy, stylish, and sturdy. They won’t go out of style. Sadly, they are not affordable. In Ebay, you’ll see tons of Revas that look EXACTLY like the real thing. But they’re just that—they only LOOK LIKE the real thing.

Tempted with a 2k, 3k, or 4k pair of Revas? Before bidding on those shoes or hitting the ‘Buy it Now’ button, read and digest my comprehensive review on how to spot a Reva knock- off.

Spot fake 7 For All Mankind jeans here.

They’re only MADE IN BRAZIL

Tory Burch has started outsourcing labor. They were made in the USA before, but now, the clothes and bags are Made in China, and the shoes are Made in Brazil. The shoes ARE NOT MADE IN CHINA.

However, a lot of CHINA- MADE Revas are claiming to be MADE IN BRAZIL. BEWARE!

Screen shot taken from toryburch.com

KNOW HOW MUCH THEY’RE TRULY WORTH

Okay, you should know how much a pair of Tory Burch Reva costs. For the Classic Reva, it’s around $195.00 online. Locally, it’s around P10,900+ (Approximately $240+). In the official site of Tory Burch, the Revas went on a sale for $110.00. For licensed Tory Burch outlets, you can get the shoes for as low as $150.00, but you have to buy them in bulk. If one can purchase single pairs from outlets, there wouldn’t be a single Tory Burch boutique around the world. Revas vary in styles and prices. You can go to Tory Burch’s official website so you can check out their collection and pricing. For this entry, I shall review my only (sniff) Tory Burch Classic Reva in Black.

A lot of sellers will claim that their prices are cheap because their Revas are from outlets, and are overruns. Overruns are fakes posing as authentic factory rejects, hence the affordable prices. There are only two types of items: AUTHENTIC and FAKE. And outlets have ceilings on their prices, regardless if you purchase a thousand pairs. Suppose that the bulk pricing for a single pair of Reva costs $150.00, the seller would be crazy enough (and too kind) to sell the shoes for only $80-100!

The Box

This one’s hard to spot. An authentic Tory Burch pair of shoes has an orange and blue printed box. The logo of Tory Burch is at the center, and measurement is

4L X 4H. If the measurement of the logo on your box is not precise, not printed on the center, and has messy ink splatters and bleeding, it’s fake!

The Wrappers

Tory Burch Revas are wrapped in very soft paper, which is actually referred to as ‘Tissue’. But for me, it ain’t tissue. My Tory Burch, which came from the U.S., came with a ton of tissue wraps on the sides, and some more stuffed inside the shoes to preserve their shape. However, the Tory Burch I got from Greenbelt had a decent amount of tissue inside the box: Some on the bottom to cushion it, and some inside the shoes to preserve their shape.

Authentic Revas do not come with plastic rods inserted inside the shoe!

Authentic Revas come with white 'tissues' with the brand’s logo printed all over it. If your purchase does not have this, it’s fake!

However, fake Revas also come with the branded tissue wraps, so be careful. Do not solely rely on this. Ask the seller for more pictures. To know what pictures to ask from the seller, keep on reading.

The Buckle

The buckles of the Classic Reva come in Gold and Silver. NOT BRONZE. Also, brand new authentic Revas DO NOT HAVE PLASTIC OR TISSUE WRAPS ON THE BUCKLES. If your shoes have this, it’s fake!

This is a pic showing the back part of the buckle. Notice the very thin layer of leather right underneath the buckle? It’s a separate piece of leather that holds the buckle to the shoe. The buckle sits right on top of the leather cut- out with metal reinforcements right behind the buckle. If the buckles of your shoes are reinforced, or much worse, glued straight to the shoe, it’s fake

The Stitching

Classic Revas have running V stitching all over the shoe. If the stitches on your shoes are straight or vertical, it’s fake!

The thread used on Revas is thick, and it looks sturdy. If the quality of your shoes’ thread is thin (same as the threads used on clothes), it’s fake!

The Body

Authentic Revas are cut straight from a piece of leather and formed into a shoe. They are not made from sectioned pieces of leather! There’s only one section, and that’s located at the middle of the heel part of the Reva, where the ends of the leather are joined together. If your shoes have sections on the parts where the curve of your foot is resting, it’s fake!

The Size Indicator

My shoes are pretty old, and I wasn’t able to take a pic of the size tag. But I found one on my mother’s Tory Burch loafers. Authentic Revas have transparent, round stickers taped on each of the shoes’ sole. The number and letter are in Gold, and sizes are indicated in this manner: 5M, 9M, etc. The size is not encircled. If your shoes have square, transparent stickers with encircled sizes, it’s fake!

The Leather

Classic Reva is made from Nappa Leather. Not REAL LEATHER. Yes, it’s genuine leather, but the box nor the description say REAL LEATHER. If your box says REAL LEATHER, it’s fake!

Check out the leather. It’s not too shiny, and not too matte. It has a faint sheen. Also, if you look closely, the leather has very tiny dots on it. The leather develops lines and folds through wear and tear. They are kinda’ stiff when they’re new, but they soften in time, especially if you will endure the pains inflicted by new shoes by using them regularly. If the leather of your shoes does not have these unique markings, is very stiff (you will know once you wear them. They’re not flexible and they feel too hard), and is shiny, it’s fake!

The Marking

The size, code, and materials used to make an authentic Classic Reva are stamped inside the shoe. It says LEATHER UPPER, LEATHER LINING, MAN MADE SOLE, MADE IN BRAZIL, and the code. (?) and size right beside each other.

These markings are found at the toe part of the Revas. If your shoes have these, but were printed near the heel part of the shoe, it’s fake!

However, newer styles have shuffled the orders of MADE IN BRAZIL, the code, and size. Regardless, authentic Reva shoes have everything stamped right at the toe part of the shoes.

The Label

The code, color, description (style), and Suggested Retail are contained in a sticker on the exterior of the box. It should also show a pic of the shoe printed on the left or right part of the sticker, and the barcode right below the shoe’s picture. Recent boxes show that the caricature of the Reva is located at the left part of the sticker, and the bar code is located to the right. My pair was bought two years ago, so the contents of the label may have been shuffled (possibly to avoid counterfeiting). Regardless, all boxes should contain these descriptions. The small sticker on top of the box’s label depends on where you bought it. For my pair, these were bought from an authorized retailer in Fashion Valley, San Diego, CA., and the small sticker is by the retailer. Your authentic pair may bear a retailer’s sticker, or it might not have any at all.

If the labels on your shoeboxes don’t have the specs label, it’s fake!

Fake Revas have label stickers taped on the exterior of the box. You can easily spot if they’re fake because the labels may bear one of the following, or all of them: REAL LEATHER, WRONG SIZE (Says it’s a 9M but it’s really a 10M), and WRONG STYLE (Says Caroline but it’s really a Jelly Reva).

I hope this entry helped you out. Remember, a brand new pair of Reva that costs 4k might be too tempting, but 4k is not loose change either.

UPDATE:

With a little help from a forum member named legal2shop, she added that the colors vary on the box, and some authorized retailers have plastic rods inserted inside the shoes, and include individual plastic bags for brand new pairs. So don't solely rely on the rods and plastic bags if you see on ebay that there are plastic rods inserted inside the Revas that you're eyeing. Also, according to some more research and inquiries, I've found out that the elements found on the label sticker on the exterior of the box varies. Just make sure that the sizing, description, and style representation are accurate.

Here are some helpful fashion articles on how to authenticate your purses:

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2. Authenticating A Longchamp Le Pliage
3. Inspecting A Fake Longchamp Le Pliage
4. How To Spot A Fake Longchamp Le Cuir
5. How To Spot A Fake Louis Vuitton Damier Neverfull
6. How To Spot A Fake Prada Tessuto Gaufre BN1789M