Chanel handbags have proven their style status over the years, with many women aspiring to own the iconic piece.
Not only have other designers taken inspiration from the classic piece, but it’s thankfully trickled down onto the high street too and we’re able to take designer inspiration without the hefty price tag.
Chanel is a luxury brand that's iconic all the world over, and their bags are the perfect extension of this. It was 1929 when Coco Chanel designed her first handbag, but this isn't one of the well-recognised pieces that are still worn and coveted today. Like those of the time it was handheld. It wasn't until February 1955 that she revealed the shoulder-carried adaptation and defined handbag history.
Through the years the original 2.55 flap design has seen many incarnations, and the limited edition designs have become coveted and treasured pieces. Design details leather through the chains, different fabrics and leathers, colours, sizes and more, have all ensured the 2.55 is a must-have handbag.
Karl Lagerfeld joined the House of Chanel in 1983 as Artistic Director, and he made a big statement to the design of the handbags, he introduced the interlocking CC closure on the flap of the bag. However, it was Coco Chanel who designed the logo herself.
Chanel handbag facts
The name 2.55 is the bag's own birthday: It was created in February 1955.
The Mademoiselle Lock is named so because Coco Chanel was never married.
Coco Chanel designed the bag perfectly for her own needs. Under the top flap, there's a zipper compartment not usually found in bags of these designs. It's said that she hid it there so she would have a secret place to put her love letters, as she was having an affair at the time she designed the bag.
The quilted leather, now so synonymous with the brand, is thought to be in honour of Coco's love of riding as a girl, when quilted materials were worn only by boys working in the stables.
The original bags were lined in a burgundy hue that referenced the colour of the Catholic school uniforms Coco wore.
Chanel inspired handbags at an affordable price
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