Okay promise last post of the night but my first on an actual purse. I'm going to elaborate about my love jones for the Chanel Classic Flap Bag.
So when I talk about high end purses there will be a few names thrown into the mix, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Burberry, Prada, Gucci, yadda yadda yadda, but when I want to talk about my personal favorite, for now it's hands down
Chanel.
As a girl growing up and learning about fashion and handbags Chanel has always stuck out to me. Sure some people think their classic flap bag is 'old lady style' but I think those people deep down are thinking 'old lady style' = 'timeless' they just don't want to admit it.
Let's get pursonal (you see what I just did there? wordplay: 0 ND: 1) and talk about this bag. Wait let's look at it first!
Done looking at it? Look at it one more time. You know you want to....
The Style:
The style of the bag itself is Classic hence it's given name, for as long as I can remember this has been Chanel's signature bag. It just exudes elegance, and I think the most attractive thing about the bag besides the double C clasp holding down the flap is the simplicity of the design.
Simple rectangular shape, large flap covering the contents of the bag, the quilted leather, the leather and chain strap that allows for either a shoulder or cross body wear. It's a simple bag. And it's an attractive one.
I once read in another purse forum or blog that there are 300 different steps just to make this purse. 300! That's insane and if I was really into it (which I probably am) I would know all of those individual steps (which I don't..... yet!).
Your options:
The classic flap comes in all types of colors, sizes, and materials. The color you're most likely going to see are black, beige/white, and red (in patent leather which is coming out in the new 2011 cruise line), and the material you'll most likely find in the store are the caviar leather and the lambskin (soft leather, shown in the picture above). The sizes of the bag come in the medium, large, jumbo (extra large), and the maxi (the biggest and most beauteous one because I own it). The hardware (metal adornments) that comes on the bag also has two options, silver or gold.
What I like:
My personal preference for the previously mentioned categories would be, as for color I really love the black it just goes with everything and isn't hard to accessorize. As for the hardware for this bag I really could of gone either way, but I already have a Chanel tote with the silver hardware so I went with and fell in love with the gold hardware for this purse. I also think the black color of the purse is accentuated more with the gold hardware.
The two big debates I feel most people have when deciding to buy this purse are with the size and the material. For the material I prefer the caviar leather, don't get me wrong the lambskin is GORGEOUS and it feels so rich, but I have heard rumors that it doesn't hold up to wear and tear as well as the caviar leather. If you're going to go with the lambskin, they do offer services to 'refresh' the bag, but I think it costs between $275.00 to $300.00. I have the caviar leather and I swear my bag looks like it just left the hands of Karl Lagerfeld himself, it still looks
brand new.
As far as size, I think the jumbo is the ideal size. I don't own it but from what I can see it's can hold more than the medium and large (if you're planning on getting a medium, plan not on carrying more than your credit cards and phone) and it looks good on all heights of women. The maxi is huge (but that's what I wanted), it can probably hold an entire magazine comfortably.
Here's a picture for your thoughts (this is the photo of the Chanel reissue 2.55's the sizes aren't similar to the Classic Flaps, but they are just to give your mind a little taste of what Chanel does for their flap sizes)
The Price:
Also if you're looking at costs the bags have gotten more expensive: since June 1, 2011 all the classic flaps have gone up $800.00. So if you calculate:
It's roughly (don't quote me on this because it's just an estimate)*
Medium was $3,200.00 is now $4,000.00
Large was $3,400.00 is now $4,200.00
Jumbo was $3,600.00 is now $4,400.00
Maxi was $4,000.00 is now $4,800.00.
Chanel does not post their prices on their website. But you want to see more of what they have to offer then visit
http://www.chanel.com/, go to accessories, then choose leather goods, then bags.
The classic flap is an investment and very expensive, there are other purses on the market that look strikingly similar, and if I had to go with a less expensive bag, the best I think out there is the Marc Jacobs quilted collection, but forever 21 actually has a bag that looks a lot like Chanel's and it's only $20.00, that's cray cray (aka crazy)! Look at the picture of the forever 21 version below!
To close, this bag an essential to any purse collection. And honestly this is an original, and that just can't be topped.
ND
*These prices are based on the black Chanel leather bags, with different colors and materials the prices may vary.
