I have wanted a pair of the classic Chanel cap toe flats for years, but ya know. Money, kids and stuff. Well, I recently saw them on Aimee Song. Wearing a floral dress and carrying a darling straw handbag, she was rocking some slingback Chanels. Oh, I wanted them bad…maybe even more so than before. YIKES.
For .25 seconds I considered spending over $500 on a legit pair. I do not have a Chanel budget, however, so that didn’t fly. I guess I have to be realistic (damn it). However, never one to let the absence of a designer budget hold me back, I resolved to find the next best thing….something more affordable, yet still very chic and classic.
A little search on the Googs brought me to a few contenders — all cap toes with the real possibility of being a Chanel stand-in. I ordered them all, crossing my fingers that at least one of them would hit the mark.
You can do a little scroll scroll to see every pair on me and read my notes on each.
1. Yosi Samra Flats
Yogi Samra Samantha II Cap Toe Flats – wearing size 10 (half size up from norm)
This was the most comfortable pair. They fold in half and have a split sole, which makes it a great walking shoe. The fit is slightly smaller, so I ordered a half size up and they fit great. These are the most casual style from the four that I ordered. I would wear them with jeans and a tee any day.
2. Sam Edelman Flats
Sam Edelman Fraley Flats – wearing size 9.5 (a bit on the small side)
I liked these in the box, because of how similar they are to classic Chanel ballet flats. However, once I had them on I realized that the fit is a bit small. They were bit snug in the toe area, which made them less comfortable than the Yosi Samra pair. I think that if I had gone up to a size 10 they would have fit much better(?). Other than that, I liked the look of them…a more dressy style.
3. Taryn Rose Flats
Taryn Rose Rosa Cap Toe Flat – wearing size 9.5 (true to size)
These are beauties. While these were the most expensive pair (coming in at about half of what Chanels would be), they were my favorite ballet flat style. The leather is buttery soft, which made them easy to walk around in. I was worried the rose on the toe would make them look cheap (I’m weird about logos on shoes, bags, etc.,), but nope. Not at all! It actually makes the shoes look dainty and unique. They are $395 at Bloomies, but currently on sale for $198 at Taryn Rose (YAASSS). This is more of a splurge shoe, but if you’re in the market for designer flats…these are a fantastic option.
4. Vaneli Slingbacks
Vaneli Aliz Slingback – wearing size 10 (sized up half size)
Not technically a ballet flat, but too good not to share…and they just so happen to be on trend right now. These are a classic slingback, not unlike Aimee’s pair. They immediately caught my eye. Being that they have an ankle strap, they do slap a bit on the bottom of the heel, but that’s pretty normal for a slingback. I love the look of them with jeans, trousers, dresses, skirts…everything. Also, they truly do have that Chanel look to them, which makes them a winner to me. This is the pair I kept, by the way. They hit that mark for me!
Btw: have any of you seen CoCo Before Chanel? It’s one of my favorite movies (I love Audrey Tautou)…it’s so interesting to me!
Cheers,
Cams
Find me over on Instagram (@camilledipaola) and say hey! I love visitors and am pretty good at responding to messages. 
Also, I share a lot more of my messy, crazy life on there. It’s a PARTY.
Pictures taken by one of my favorite people, @raeganpanderson. Thanks, doll.
I am guessing these were all gifted, because if you add up the cost, you could easily snag a pair of gently used Chanel shoes for about the same price as all of these shoes. I will never understand that logic. Then again, you’re an influencer trying to make a buck. Perhaps be more transparent about it. Isn’t there an FTC regulation about transparency for gifted posts?
Hi, Grace. I’m guessing you are new here. FTC regulations are indeed for gifted products and/or sponsored posts. All of our gifted products and collaborations (aka sponsored posts) are fully disclosed. However, as a business, we know our readers are relying on us for recommendations, and it’s hard to accurately recommend products we haven’t personally tried. So. In this instance, we choose to purchase a range of ballet flats so we could more accurately recommend the best pairs. In fact, we usually purchase more pairs than we write about – many are simply returned immediately, being too uncomfortable or not cute enough in person, etc etc to even make it past the first cut. And then we wear them around the house (on carpet, usually) to downselect further (and can sometimes send some back). But shoes, in particular, are something we often have to just invest in in order to make trustyworthy recommendations.