Well ladies and gents, this is certainly a bit of a surprise. Just a few moments ago I pulled up Shopbop and I could barely believe what I was seeing – vintage Chanel bags for sale. If you are anything like me you probably are saying to yourself, “no friggin way”, because believe you me, that is exactly what I am still saying!
Chanel is one of the last major design houses to slowly take to the online world of fashion. Yesterday Amanda delved into a discussion about luxury houses taking small steps into the online world of blogs and social media. Chanel had a fairly blank site for quite some time, but recently began adding video and pieces from their shows and upcoming lines. It is ideal for anyone who wants to do some research or swoon over an item they may never be able to buy.
Today I find myself doing just that, obsessing over a bag that I will 99% certainly never own. The Chanel Classical Matte Alligator Bag features a flap CC closure and interlaced chain. The color is dreamy of this matte alligator skin and this bag truly is timeless. If you call the Chanel Classic Flap timeless this is timeless squared. Price tag is $26,600. When I spoke to a Chanel rep she said this bag was currently out of stock, but they may expect some to come in soon. I am left staring at the computer screen dreaming. More via Chanel online.
The heat wave is making its way across the US and everyone continuing to bring out their summer whites. A white hot Chanel summer is the most fashionable way to integrate white. From a white J12 Watch, to Limited Edition white nail polish, to the highly loved and respected Chanel 2.55 in white patent, Chanel is bringing you every white hot item your heart desires. A white 2.55 is a dream for me, but I am rocking a white Hermes Kelly Longue this summer.
There are few more joyous occasions in fashion than Paris Couture Week, although this year’s flamboyant celebration of clothing and artistry has been somewhat hampered by the depressed economy and the impending departure of one of the genre’s greatest voices, Christian Lacroix. The fact that he was able to put on a show at all is the big story of the week; suppliers and industry friends helped the designer piece together a last-minute collection and presentation for what could be his last couture show if his brand doesn’t find a backer quickly. It demonstrates an odd sort of collegiality among fashion industry workers that many on the outside looking in might overlook in the midst of so much glitz and fabulousness – it takes an army of people to make this happen for us a few times a year, and they work extremely long hours for really modest pay. That so many of them donated their time, skills and goods to Lacroix to put together what may be his final show is kind of touching, particularly in an industry known for ego and elitism. He’s not the only one to put on a show for fashion editors and couture customers this week, though – we’ve got a rundown of the best looks from the best shows, after the jump.
After seeing a few shots from Chanel Cruise 2010, I couldn’t resist sharing some of the highlights with all of you PurseBloggers out there. This has to be one of the most strikingly beautiful runway shows I’ve ever seen, from the Venice Lido boardwalk setting to the 1920s throwback clothes. Karl Lagerfeld said that he chose this particular setting to debut this collection because Coco Chanel was a long-time fan of this particular Italian beach. Coco made yearly visits to this beach during the 1920s, making it particularly appropriate for this set of retro-glam resort wear and beautiful evening dresses. The boardwalk is only steps from the sea, the show began at sunset, and I’ve never found myself wanting to attend any fashion show so much in my entire life.
In general, I’m an enormous fan of everyday objects turned into art objects. Celebrating the beauty in everyday, functional things is a worthwhile pursuit; the design equivalent to “stopping to smell the roses.” And perhaps if we begin to blur the line between beautiful things and functional things, we would end up with more things that are BOTH beautiful and functional, and then we all win. Taking pleasure in the everyday is nothing to sneeze at, after all.
Chanel’s contribution to this idea is their Spring/Summer 2009 Essential Handbag. Modeled after the iconic shopping bags of their 31, Rue Cambon flagship location in Paris, the bags are produced in smooth calfskin in Chanel’s signature palette of black, white and pale pink. They come in three sizes – small for $1525, which is the only of the three available pale pink, medium for $2625, and large in $2995. From the information that we received from Chanel, it’s unclear whether the small is also available in white and black – if you’re interested, a call to your local boutique may be warranted.
Karl “Krazypants” Lagerfeld is at it again. He’s made a bike, which we covered, as well as other sporting equipment like skis. If Krazypants can find a way to put a Chanel logo on something that is already expensive and then charge more for it, he’s all over it. Particularly if it can be done in a wacky, eccentric way that makes everyone go “…waaaah?” And that’s the case with the all-new-for-spring Chanel Segway. It’s got an enormous classic flap stuck on the front of it like a basket on an old-fashioned bicycle and Chanel’s quilted caviar leather covering the wheel wells. I don’t even know what else could be said about this…thing. Except that Krazy Karl is the only person I could ever see riding it, except for maybe Victoria Beckham. And maybe her kids behind her, on mini ones. No price information was given, but their bicycle from several seasons ago was several thousand dollars, and this thing has a motor, so…draw your own conclusions.
Image courtesy of Chanel via NYMag.com
Oh, Karl Lagerfeld. He’s crazypants. He’s also the creative force behind Chanel, although I’m sure you all were aware of that. As a result, all of the creative elements of Chanel’s branding are immensely, luxuriously over the top in ways that few other brands can touch (although Louis Vuitton also does an admirable job with Marc Jacobs at the helm), with advertising campaigns and catalogues often photographed by Lagerfeld himself. He is indeed the man behind the camera for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2009 Accessories Catalogue, but to get a first look at the catalogue and find out more about Krazy Karl’s concept for the shoot, you’ll have to make the jump.
This bespoke chair from Suzan Fellman would be one of the greatest artistic pieces for your home. Vlad and I have a little more modern vibe going on in our house and I would plop this chair down to be the ultimate conversation piece. There are of course a few problems that I would run into. Price is the biggest one followed by keeping it clean. But would this not be amazing? This Chanel Bespoke Silk Scarf Chair is designed with vintage silk scarves on a sleek slipper chair. The lucite legs are the perfect modern finish. Each chair is individually designed to the three scarves that make it up, so all the chairs will vary. But the Chanel chair pictured is the ideal chair for a handbag loving fashionista. Dimensions vary but are about 27″D, 32″H, seat height 12″, and seat area approximately 20″ square. Order through Vivre for $6,400.
Timeless, classic, elegant, recognizable. All of these words describe the house of Chanel. The Chanel Classic Flap bag has become synonymous and iconic to Chanel. Every woman years to have a Classic Flap in her collection. Some collectors have exorbitant amount of Flap bags. And while the Classic Flap’s beauty speaks for itself, and the style needs no introduction, there are ways that the bag can be dressed up even further.
Bypassing merely being an exotic skin bag, the Chanel Classic Flap in Alligator is embroidered with pearls by La Maison Lesage. This is the ultimate luxury when it comes to the Chanel Classic Flap Bag. There is not much else to say; the timeless style dresses up with pearl embroidery detail on top of luscious alligator skin. This bag is from the Chanel Cruise 2008/2009. Inquire further through Chanel about purchasing this item, 800-550-0005. Price of this beautiful collectors piece is $34,500.
Note: We also broke the story of the Chanel Diamond Forever Classic Bag, which costs a whopping $261,000!
