Bethenny Frankel claimed she was denied access to a Chanel store in Chicago because she didn’t look “wealthy.”
In May 2024, the former “Real Housewives of New York City” star made the reveal via an Instagram reel, where she clarified that she could have called someone to get on the entry list.
Frankel is a longtime fan of the luxury fashion brand. In July 2023, she posted a video of her first official “unboxing” of a pricey Chanel purse. “I love SPECIAL pieces. Do you like?” she captioned a clip of the French fashion house’s exclusive Birdcage bag.
But it may have been a lower-end purse that put the kibosh on her arrival at Chanel in May 2024.
Here’s what you need to know:
Bethenny Frankel Dressed Down For a Trip to Chanel
In her Instagram video, Frankel alleged that she was stopped by security at a Chanel store in Chicago because she arrived dressed down and tried to walk in without an appointment. The RHONY OG ranted about the moment to her followers as she noted that a worker would not open the door for her and asked her if she had an appointment.
“And I’m already on the offensive. I’m like, ‘No, I don’t have an appointment. I have a credit card. I have a bag of Garrett’s popcorn, a basic [expletive] purse,’” she said. “Am I not allowed to come in at 3:54 on a Tuesday?’ Evidently not.”
“To be treated like you’re an interloper,” she added. “I’m just walking down the street opening a door to walk into a store. I didn’t realize we weren’t allowed to walk into stores anymore. Gotta get a pap smear appointment and also to walk into Chanel. No big deal.”
In the caption to her post, Frankel noted, “I could easily call one of my salespeople and get on this list. That’s beside the point. I was straight off a plane in a sweaty t-shirt and not dolled up or looking wealthy.”
She noted that while security is “critical” these days due to high crime rates, she felt that the store could have addressed her in another way. “There are several ways to convey a message and this way was rudeness and elitist and exclusionary, which is also a crime,” she wrote.
There are two standalone Chanel stores in Chicago, per the brand’s website. According to People magazine, a rep for the company confirmed that some stores require appointments and have a limit to how many customers can be in the store at one time.
Bethenny Frankel Returned to Chanel in a Nice Outfit & Was Let in
Frankel returned to Chanel the following day. In a second Instagram video, she wore a dressy black jacket and shirt and clutched a Chanel bag as she made her way to the front door of the Chicago boutique.
“I’m going into Chanel now dressed much differently than I was dressed yesterday,” she said. “If they let me in because of how I look, Christmas is canceled.”
In the clip, Frankel was stopped briefly at the door as one security guard stepped inside. The door was then quickly opened for her. Frankel walked in—and walked right back out.
“No problem today,” she said.
Frankel later spoofed the Incident With a TikTok Video. In a clip shared to her TikTok account, the Bravo veteran reenacted Julia Roberts’ famous “Pretty Woman” scene in which she asks two snooty salesladies, “You remember me? I was in here yesterday, you wouldn’t wait on me.”
“You work on commission, right?” Frankel continued. “Big mistake. Big. Huge,” she said as she held up her shopping bags from luxury stores.
@bethennyfrankel
Pretty woman #prettywoman #bigmistake #huge #chanel #luxurygoods #luxe #luxury @ChanelOfficial @mia @Tiffany&Co. #hermes @Fendi
♬ original sound – Freeform
Frankel posted several more Chanel-related TikToks. One of them mocked a faux Chanel store policy and in another, she joked that she was banned from Chanel for life. In another clip, she acknowledged she was “obsessed” with her Chanel story.
A final TikTok compared Chanel face powder to the drugstore brand Cover Girl. After applying the Chanel powder on one side of her face and Cover Girl on the other, Frankel revealed she preferred the Cover Girl side.
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