I’ve had the Chanel slingback shoes on my wishlist for years. Literally. The last iteration of my wishlist, shared in this post, of course also contains them. Since we are talking wishlists, I also did a recap of my Q1 purchases and thoughts on shopping in this post, so this should not be major news. However, I wanted to take a moment for a quick review and first impressions post of the classic Chanel slingback shoes.
In January I got myself the Chanel two-tone slingback shoes. These were actually a gift from myself for my 30th birthday. Because of that, I don’t consider them exactly part of my regular shopping this year. However, practically and in reality they are. As said, they have been on my wishlist for years. So I thought what better way to celebrate 30 than with a nice, well-earned gift.
With that, I wanted to take a moment and share my first impressions of the Chanel slingback shoes.
First Impressions
I have not worn them out yet so I cannot speak to how comfortable they are. However, I can imagine they are great for a few hours long event, and even an office day. I’d make sure I Uber to the office and back though! I am speaking from the perspective of someone that lives mainly in sneakers since the pandemic, so that’s that.
Sizing wise I went for my actual shoe size, which is 38 and a half. I think a 39 would also do since that is my size for the Channel ballerinas. However, since it’s an open shoe, sizing is slightly different. I will also say that nowadays I am much more into buying my shoes half a size or even a full size bigger in general, because they are more comfortable. This of course also depends on the type of shoe, but I try to make better decisions.
Shoe Care
Even though I am yet to take them out for a spin, I’ve already done some life-extending work to them. Since buying them I knew I wanted to put protection on the leather sole to extend their life. I took them to the cobbler, and I can highly recommend them if you are in Berlin. They are specialized in working with luxury shoes and also work with Vibram soles. Vibram soles are the most long-lasting rubber soles out there. They are also anti-slip and overall very resistant to wear and tear. That makes them perfect for protecting the leather soles of the Chanel slingbacks, so they last for a long time.
You can see a few pictures below from after adding the rubber soles and the result is flawless. I do expect to bring them back to change the heel after some time of wear, but that is expected of any shoe and time will tell when it’s needed.
One thing that I will also say is that while searching for information on the shoes and reviews, I have seen that some people add protective transparent stickers to the soles ordered from Amazon. I cannot speak for whether that works. However, in my opinion, since it’s a stick-on sole, I didn’t get the impression of it being a long-term solution. As mentioned above, I prefer a more solid and permanent solution. I simply don’t want to worry about them when wearing them. Plus, a real rubber sole also adds a bit of a comfort upgrade to the shoe. That makes it a win-win in my books.
Closing thoughts
So far I love them, and I am so happy to have added them to my collection. They are definitely not meant to be daily shoes for me, but I wanted to add a low-heel, fancy shoe that I can wear for special occasions and the occasional outing or office day when I need a mood boost, and for that, I think they are perfect. Also, I am so excited that it’s finally warmer in Berlin. This means I will be able to wear them outside soon. Overall I am so pleased that I managed to finally add them to my wardrobe. I cannot wait to wear them for years to come.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading my Chanel Slingback Shoes First Impressions post.
