How To Tell If Valentino Heels Are Real (2023)

Last Updated on November 10, 2023 by Ch David

You’re most likely here because you:

• Have a pair of Valentino heels/pumps
• Are not sure if they are real
• So you want to verify the pair

In this guide, we’ll teach you just that: how to differentiate between original vs fake Valentino shoes.

This authentication guide works for any Valentino heels.

However, we’ll compare the original vs fake Valentino Rockstud model for your reference.

How to check if your Valentino shoes are original

The best way to spot fake Valentino heels (pumps) is to check the insole’s label. Fake shoes have their text and stitching commonly thicker than the original.

Let’s check it out!

1. Insole text

• Valentino Logo:
  • Fake: Thick “V,” thin circle
  • Authentic: Thin “V,” thick circle
• “VALENTINO” Text:
  • Fake: Thin letters
  • Authentic: Thick and defined letters, may appear slightly used/faded but still thicker
• “GARAVANI” Text:
  • Fake: Stretched out and thin
  • Authentic: Boxy and thick

Note: The authentic text is still thicker despite being used and faded.

2. Insole stitching

• Fake:
  • Thick stitching.
  • Crooked positioning.
  • Left side stitching far from the label.
• Authentic:
  • Consistent stitching weight.
  • Straight stitches.
  • Left side stitching closer to the label.

3. Sole

• Valentino Logo:
  • Fake: Thick logo, misplaced “V” in the circle.
  • Authentic: Thin logo, centered “V” in the circle.
• “VALENTINO” Text:
  • Fake: Boxy and thick, uneven letter spacing.
  • Authentic: Bigger and thinner, consistent letter spacing.
• “GARAVANI” and “MADE IN ITALY” Text:
  • Fake: Boxy and thick.
  • Authentic: Bigger and thinner.
• Size Indication:
  • Fake: Thick text, poor spacing between numbers.
  • Authentic: Thinner text, proper spacing, numbers spaced further apart.

4. Spikes

• Fake: Spikes shine too brightly.
• Authentic: Spikes shine less brightly.

A quick mention:

• The steps we’ve written so far are the BEST ways to authenticate this item
• The next few steps are still reliable methods…
• … but they apply to non-top-versions of replicas available for this item

If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.

5. Glossiness

• Fake: Toe box reflects more light on glossy material.
• Authentic: Toe box reflects less light on glossy material.

6. Extra marks

Fake Valentino shoes sometimes come with extra marks from the replica manufacturers.

• The fake pair has an extra mark.
• Never to be seen on the real heels.

Shortlist: Authenticate your Valentino shoes in 30 seconds

1. Examine the label inside your pumps: Counterfeit Valentino Rockstud Pumps often feature incorrect font-weight on the label.
2. Inspect the stitching all around your Valentino Rockstud Pumps: Replicas typically have poorly weighted and positioned stitching.
3. Verify the text on the sole of your Valentino Rockstud Pumps: Most fakes have improperly shaped, font-weighted text on the midsole, along with misalignment issues (e.g., misplacement of the Valentino classic logo’s “V”).
4. Analyze the shininess of the metal spikes: Fake Valentino Rockstud Pumps tend to have excessively shiny spikes compared to authentic ones.
5. Examine the shoes’ glossy material: In particular, replicas often have overly reflective glossy material on the toe box, resulting in excessive shine.
6. Check for extra marks: Counterfeit pumps often bear additional marks, which should not be present on genuine ones.

Sometimes, you might not have the time to go through the detailed authentication steps as mentioned earlier for your Valentino Rockstud Pumps.

To address this, we’ve created a speedy 60-second method for authenticating your Valentino shoes.

Expert Valentino authentication

If you need help verifying your Valentino Rockstud Pumps, we’ve got you covered.

• Send us high-quality pictures of your shoes.
• We’ll provide results within 24 to 48 hours,.
• You’ll also get a detailed report explaining why we believe your Valentino shoes are fake or authentic.

This concludes our guide on how to identify fake Valentino shoes by focusing on the 6 key areas.

Need our opinion on your item’s authenticity? It’s a service we provide.

Get a fully-detailed report for why you have a real or fake item. Takes less than 48 hours!

Alternatively, use our free resources: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Daniel and Ch David