Alexander McQueen Legit Check: Real Vs Fake Shoes (2024)

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Ch David
Alexander McQueen Oversized Sneakers Guide
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Last Updated on January 11, 2024 by Ch David

Straight to the point: We’ll teach you how to spot fake McQueens.

In this guide, you’ll see:

  • Real vs fake Alexander McQueen Oversized pics
  • Explanations provided by experts
  • Various tips.

If you’re not sure yourself how to tell fakes, you can get our professional McQueen Authentication Service.

No more small talk. Let’s check it out!

How to tell if Alexander McQueens are real

To tell if your Alexander McQueen sneakers are real, check the text-logo printed on the tongue.

Fakes always have their text misplaced and either super thick or super thin.

1. Profile

First, let’s have a look at the fake vs real Alexander McQueen shoes from their profile sides.

1.1. Toe box

Both the toe box and toe box stitching are obscure, but they can be valuable spots
  • Authentic:
    • Toe Box Arch: The toe box is arched high, ensuring it’s sufficiently raised from the ground.
  • Fake:
    • Low Toe Box: The toe boxes are consistently too low, almost hugging the ground.
    • Close Proximity: These toe boxes are noticeably closer to the ground.

1.2. Stitching

A lot of work goes into the toe box stitching. Keep an eye out for it.
  • Authentic:
    • Stitching Density: Features a dense and robust long stitching line.
    • Corner Stitching: Double-stitching in the corners is straight and uniform.
  • Fake:
    • Thin Line: The long stitching line is noticeably thinner and less dense.
    • Crooked Corner Stitching: The double-stitching in the corners is irregular and slanted.

Finding it too hard? Reach out to our McQueen experts:

2. Shape

On a pair of Alexander McQueen sneakers, you will find that the authentic ones have the back of their heels being round.

The roundness brings about a curve, which is rather noticeable.

Alexander McQueen shoes have a distinct shape. You could use this as a yardstick
  • Authentic:
    • Smooth Arching: The arch of the shoe progresses smoothly, without abrupt shifts.
    • Perfect Curve: The line on the right (heel) side of the shoe is perfectly and uniformly curved.
  • Fake:
    • Excessive Curvature: The shoe arches too violently and prematurely from right to left.
    • Erratic Curve: On the right (heel) side, the shoe’s line isn’t straight and shows irregularities in its curvature.

Here’s another picture for reference:

  • Authentic:
    • Smooth Shape: The back of the authentic shoes has a consistent and smooth shape without additional curves.
  • Fake:
    • Added Curve: There’s an extra curve on the back of the fake shoes which isn’t present on the authentic pair.

3. Rear logo

On the back, you have the printed Alexander McQueen text logo.

There are two versions:

  • Lower-case text
  • Upper-case text

We’ll look at each with a real vs fake comparison.

3.1. Lowercase

  • Authentic:
    • Consistent Font Weight: The text appears with the right thickness.
    • Close Letter Spacing: Letters on the authentic pair are closely spaced, especially in the “Alexander” inscription.
  • Fake:
    • Varied Font Weight: The fake shoes often display text that’s either too thin or too thick. This is notably visible in both the “Alexander” and “McQUEEN” inscriptions.
    • Incorrect Letter Spacing: Due to incorrect font weight, there’s more space between the letters on the fake pair.

3.2. Uppercase

The text at the back heels of your Alexander McQueen is a great indication of their authenticity
  • Authentic:
    • Proportional Letters: The letters maintain consistent and appropriate thickness throughout.
    • Accurate “C” Size: The letter “C” inside the “Q” in “McQueen” is of the correct size.
  • Fake:
    • Excessive Thickness: Notably visible on letters “E” and “R” of the fake pair.
    • Oversized “C”: The letter “C” inside the “Q” in “McQueen” is disproportionately large on the fake pair.

Not clear enough? Here’s a closer look:

  • Authentic:
    • Proportional Letters: The letters maintain consistent and appropriate thickness throughout.
    • Accurate “C” Size: The letter “C” inside the “Q” in “McQueen” is of the correct size.
  • Fake:
    • Excessive Thickness: Notably visible on letters “E” and “R” of the fake pair.
    • Oversized “C”: The letter “C” inside the “Q” in “McQueen” is disproportionately large on the fake pair.

4. Interior tongue

The characters inside the tongue tag are usually thicker on a pair of real Alexander McQueen shoes
  • Authentic:
    • Thicker Inscriptions: Characters on genuine Alexander McQueen shoes are noticeably thicker.
  • Fake:
    • Different Font: The fake pair uses a distinct font for its numbers and letters.
    • Thinner Characters: Inscriptions on the fake pair are notably thinner than the authentic one.

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. Exterior tongue

Just like on the back, some tongues differ as well:

  • Some have a lower-case logo
  • While others have a “caps-lock” text.

Let’s compare them, one by one.

5.1. Lowercase

  • Authentic:
    • Thicker Inscriptions: The “Alexander McQueen” text on the tongue of genuine shoes is noticeably thicker.
  • Fake:
    • Thinner Inscriptions: The fake shoes display a noticeable lack of quality, with their text appearing too thin on the tongue.

5.2. Uppercase

How is the Alexander McQueen name written on the tongue tag?
  • Authentic: Uniform, consistent inscriptions.
  • Fake: Inconsistent characters, especially “R” and “N”.

6. Shoelaces

  • Authentic: Thicker, more solid laces.
  • Fake: Shoelaces appear and feel too thin.

7. Midsole

The midsole stitching keeps your shoes strong, but it also tells if they’re original or not
  • Authentic: Stitches are thick, boxy, and dense.
  • Fake: Stitches appear thin and may be longer than usual.

8. Perforations

How do the holes of your Alexander McQueen shoes look?
  • Authentic: Holes for shoelaces are equidistant and have a straight alignment.
  • Fake: Holes are placed too low, closer to the sole, and may appear in a more bent pattern.

9. Reflectiveness

Use your phone’s flashlight to reveal the 3M reflective lines.

Inspect the reflective lines when the laces are all tied to avoid any messy analysis.

The Alexander McQueen name should always be visible, even with the 3M reflective lines
  • Authentic: The “Alexander McQueen” letters are clear and obvious.
  • Fake: The entire “Alexander McQueen” is almost covered and less distinct.

10. Sole logo

On the sole, you’ll find another AMQ logo.

10.1. Centred

  • Authentic:
    • The text on the soles appears thinner and boxier.
  • Fake:
    • The text looks too thick and wide.

10.2. Left-aligned

The positioning of the Alexander McQueen brand name on the soles is quite important as well
  • Authentic: The text (brand name) is positioned closer to the left edge.
  • Fake: The text is aligned in the middle.

11. Stitching

  • Authentic:
    • Stitching is less bumpy and of higher quality.
    • The stitches are thicker and more consistent.
  • Fake:
    • Upper side of cross-stitching appears too curvy.
    • The bottom side with the diagonal stitching line is thin and overly curvy.

12. Insole

  • Authentic:
    • Insole text is smaller and thinner.
  • Fake:
    • Insole text is improperly shaped and has an incorrect font weight.
    • Text is usually too big and thick.

13. Box label

  • Authentic:
    • “SNEAKER PELLE S.GOMMA” text is thinner.
    • Monogram shape is accurate.
  • Fake:
    • “SNEAKER PELLE S.GOMMA” text is too small and thick.
    • Barcode numbers appear too small.
    • The shoe’s monogram is inaccurately represented; it is too small and curvy.

Shortlist: Legit check Alexander McQueen (in 30 seconds)

  1. Verify the toe box of your AMQ Oversized. Mostly, the fake shoes have their toe box improperly inflated, and the stitching on the fake shoes’ toe box is also commonly flawed in terms of weight and length.
  2. Inspect the shape of your shoes. Mostly, the fake shoes have an extra curve on the upper rear side. This curve is not present on the legit shoes.
  3. Check the text on the rear side. Most of the time, counterfeit shoes have their text improperly font-weighted.
  4. Analyze the characters inside the tongue, as the fake shoes usually have their numbers and letters looking too thin.
  5. Look into the tongue tip to see the characters. If they are thin, the shoes are most likely fake.
  6. Hold the shoes to the side to examine the laces. Original Alexander McQueen comes with thicker laces, so be very careful. Fake shoes have really thin laces, and they have a higher probability of getting worn out easily.
  7. Verify the stitching on the midsole of your shoes, as the fake pairs commonly have their stitching improperly weighted.
  8. Inspect the placement of the holes on the side of your shoes. The fake shoes usually have their holes misplaced and either too far away or too close to the midsole.
  9. Check out the 3M reflectiveness effect. Hold the shoes together and see whether the brand name on the 3M reflective lines is still showing.
  10. Look at the soles of the shoes to examine the brand name on there. If it is close to the centre, then you have a fake in your hands.
  11. Verify your shoes for the cross-stitching. The counterfeit-produced AMQ shoes usually have their cross-stitching on the side of the shoes looking too curvy and thin.
  12. Inspect the print on the insole of your Alexander McQueen shoes. Mostly, the fake shoes have their text too big and thick.
  13. Have a look at the box label of the shoes, because most of the time, the fake box labels have their symbols improperly printed.

So, there you have it; the definitive guide to spotting a fake pair of Alexander McQueen shoes.

Expert Alexander McQueen authentication service

Well, that’s what we’re here for.

Our guides will help you to look through a pair of Alexander McQueen shoes and check if they are authentic.

If you would like to be even more surer, feel free to get in contact with us and we will be able to look into the shoes on your behalf.

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

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About the Author

David is the co-founder and co-CEO of Legit Check By Ch. David's experience: 5+ years of creating educational content in the fashion industry. 6+ years of authenticating luxury items. Currently, David is the Head Editor of the LCBC Library, where 1,000,000+ words have been published, in free guides, for over 1,000 items.
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