Chanel Handbags and Purses

Because most of our posts cover handbags, smaller accessories get left out from time to time. Because smaller goods spend most of their time obscured from view, they’re often not as artfully adorned as bags that we wear as part of our exterior ensemble, which means that they don’t get as much blog love. Every now and then, though, a collection of wallets and small pieces comes around that deserves closer examination.

Welcome the Chanel Palette Small Leather Goods for Fall 2011. The line includes a collection of wallets, a coin purse, card holders, key holders, makeup bags, an iPhone case, and an iPad clutch. Going along with the iconic 2.55 Chanel aesthetic, all pieces feature aged calfskin with flat lozenge quilting. → Read More

Even though Chanel is a brand with a rich history and plenty of iconic aesthetic elements from which to draw, I think we all get fatigued of flap bags and black and ivory color schemes after a while. Because Karl Lagerfeld is a man worth his enormous paycheck, he seems to be able to sense that feeling within his client base and zig when everyone expects him to zag, which has lead to a freshness and creativity in the past several Chanel collections that continues to delight me.

On Friday, we introduced you to the Outstanding Pieces range from Chanel Paris-Byzance Pre-Fall 2011. Today, we’ve got the regular line of handbags, which are pretty great themselves. There’s a lot of “Chanel” in these bags, more so than in the Outstanding Pieces, and certainly some of them are bread-and-butter sales leaders. But the change in tone that they, along with the bags from the two preceding seasons, represent is a smart and welcome one, even if it’s subtle. → Read More

For every season, Chanel generously offers not one handbag collection but two. You get the regular collection bags, which are always luxurious and highly detailed in their own right, and then you get Outstanding Pieces, which are on a whole different level. These are the jewel-encrusted exotic bags that would turn your heard so hard that you’d have to see a chiropractor, should you encounter someone toting one down the street.

For the Byzantine-inspired Chanel Paris-Byzance Pre-Fall 2011 collection, Karl Lagerfeld pulled out all the stops to create a gilded, ornate collection of crocodile, python and cabochon. These designs aren’t for a shrinking violet, but even lovers of statement pieces should be careful; these bags may result in a shrinking wallet. Please contact Chanel at 800-550-0005 for pricing and availability. → Read More

Chanel may be known for its timeless designs, but with the introduction of the Boy Chanel collection, Chanel brings us a line that is both seductive and a slight change of pace. Unmistakably different, the collection strays from the quilted flap bags we have come to expect from the brand.

Made to be worn as a shoulder or cross-body bag, the Boy Chanel collection holds close to the Chanel aesthetic while providing an entirely different appeal. The designs are clean and bold, simple and appealing. In fact, the duality of the design is inspired by a cartridge bag that was originally made for hunters. → Read More

For those of you who were disappointed that Chanel’s Fall 2011 runway show only featured a couple of handbag styles, fret not. We have a few more pieces to show you, courtesy of the fine folks at Style.com, plus a closer look at the modified flap bags that were featured on several models during the presentation.

This still isn’t enough to evaluate the whole collection, but I like most of what I see so far. Although I don’t entirely understand the photo of the gold python bag(s) (is it one or two?), I simply adore the finish of the material and hope to see it on lots of accessories come fall. In addition to the runway bags, designs of which you guys already know I approve, I’m also digging the post-apocalyptic python flap bag up top. It looks like it’s decomposing, but against all odds, Chanel makes it work in the context of the dystopian Fall 2011 collection. Check out the photos after the jump. → Read More

Chanel is synonymous with timelessness. The brand’s coveted 2.55 bag (which is in fact its “date of birth”, February, 1955) continues to gain popularity for its classic design and longevity. Many people’s handbag collections have sprinklings of Chanel accessories from decades ago that never seem to age.

Mademoiselle Chanel designed her accessories to be both practical and sensible. To her, the accessories signified true emblem of luxury and elegance. This remains true to this day with Karl Lagerfeld at the helm of the brand. Click to view photos of the making of a Chanel bag

Did you notice how I turned the noun watch plural in the title? That wasn’t merely because I am showing more than one version, that is because I truly want a whole collection of Chanel J12 watches. From what I have been told, collecting J12 watches becomes quite the addiction and I can easily see why. → Read More