Chanel’s Spring 2015 runway was the first one in a while that we weren’t huge fans of. For the first time in several season’s, the brand’s mixture of luxury and kitsch felt a little bit off; where the Chanel Graffiti Backpacks had been a deft mix of high and low, the grunge-y spring messenger bags that seemed intended as their successors reached just a little too far. And what were those bags made to look like cardigans? Now that the collection is in stores, though, some of our questions have been answered and it’s clear that there’s still plenty to like.
First of all: the weird cardigan bags are now known as the Chanel Girl Bag, and they are still weird. They will likely not be one of the more well-received of Chanel’s recent structural experiments, but hey, sometimes that’s how experiments go. On the other hand, if you ever wanted to tie a sweater together by its sleeves and wear it as a bag, you’re in luck.
The real winners of the collection are the pieces that appear to be water-colored, as well as the Classic Flaps and Boy Bags that were refreshed with chevron instead of diamond quilting for the season. Chanel is calling the former the 11.12 bag, and Kristen Stewart will be its public face.
Wow, okay. The Girl Bags are really, really quite bad. Not sure how those slipped through to mass production. I also think the three last ones, the washed fabric bags, are pretty terrible. I think Chanel was like “our backpacks have been a great success, let’s continue in that grungy direction” but these just look so dirty. I also am not a fan of this round of plexiglass clutches, which is probably for the better because I wouldn’t be able to afford them. I’m still not a fan of the top handled bags, but in comparison to some of the other pieces here (can’t get over those girl bags!), I’ll let it slide.
Now that I’ve gotten what I think is not working (really, really not working) out of the way, I think that the metallic python flap is extraordinary and the hand painted lambskin one that looks like newspaper is fantastic.
Y Ajayi
9 years ago
The black on black chevron is gorgeous. Very very tempted. The girl bags not so much.
kate
9 years ago
Can’t wait to see someone wearing the girl bag. Kinda cool looking, I think.
shueaddict
9 years ago
The alligator flap is stunning .
Lori
9 years ago
Overall I think most of these bags are pretty horrible. Those girl bags look like something out of cheap store for teenagers. I think most of them are too masculine. Ugg, I am going to look at the Dior post and cleanse my eyes. 🙂
overall, this is probably one of the uglier collections i’ve ever seen in my life, that being said, i’m probably still going to buy #17 assuming it’s a good alternate for a duffel bag size
Lina Lee
9 years ago
Hi. I have a question. Is Chanel Petite Shopper Bag discontinued or not? I ‘m thinking to get one! Please let me know and thank you.
Mya Wilkes
9 years ago
Oh my, the Girl bag is ugly as hell!
PJGambler
9 years ago
Bowling bags aren’t bad, but not good either………
No
9 years ago
the girl bag is hideous.
I like the printed boy bag though.
Kaly
9 years ago
Cannot WAIT to read all the comments on this bunch of bags!! 😀 Yikes!!
Um… Some nice pieces… A lot of them are sort of gaudy and tacky, I am not a fan of the Girl bags. I am sort of confused looking at this collection!
Joyll
9 years ago
The girl bags are cut but more utilitarian. I actually LIKE them. That blue flap croc though is DEFINITELY calling my name!!!!
Christina Samoylov
9 years ago
Overall, I think this is Chanel’s way of separating themselves from the masses. They want to be known for these eccentric bags and you can get a Chanel Jumbo Flap but you can’t walk into a store and buy one. The prices of these are not for the faint of heart suggesting again that they aren’t trying to appeal to a mass audience as Louis Vuitton has. Overall, I think the collection is interesting not sure how I feel about the quotes all over the outrageously expensive plexiglass clutches. I think the printed boy bag will be the biggest hit of the season.
Love the Boy shopping tote and the chevron bags and the Alligator bag is gorgeous. The rest? Meh…
Lisa
9 years ago
Girl Bag…yuck. Looks like Chanel took a page out of the Moschino playbook.
Cynthia Perez
9 years ago
I think the chevron black on black is where it’s at this spring for Chanel. I’m entertaining the idea of getting it in the mini.
Imgoingbroke
9 years ago
ummm, yeah…no. I do love the Painted Tweed Messenger though.
TheBagHoarder
9 years ago
I love love love the black on black chevron flap. I bought a chevron flap with ghw last year but I have to have the black one! It’s so me! I do like the watercolored Boy bags, but the rest of the collection is mehhh. Have you seen Rihanna toting around for the last few days with the Girl bag? It’s just plain weird…
flowers4me
9 years ago
I think I like the new girl bag somewhat.
Sofia
9 years ago
The green color on that Boy Bag is gorgeous. The messenger bag is nice, but I don’t like the grey color. The top handle flaps would be nice if the leather didn’t look so cheap.
The Girl bag seriously looks like something you’d by at a swap meet
DB
9 years ago
Wow…very UNDERWHELMING collection…
kathyjazz
9 years ago
I think perhaps my favorite of the lot is the messenger; I hope to see it in other colors. The top handle is actually kind of cute, but I don’t see myself buying it. The bowler looks wonderfully utilitarian and I rather like it in the beige color. Alligator flap=divine. And I am ALWAYS a sucker for denim in the summer. These patchwork denim boys are cute for the 70’s looks and bell bottoms that are all over the place. And even though I really don’t get the Girl bags (and I agree that there’s a reference to Moschino here), I still think they’re better than those cocoon bags from a few years ago.
Cbl
9 years ago
Ugh why did they make the boy bags so awesome but the girl bags so hideous?! Wtf
Smithy
9 years ago
The girl bag looks like something you could find on Etsy.
A couple of these bags are cute — printed boy and whip stitch — but for most, take a way the double CCs and the bag becomes completely undesirable.
Archana
9 years ago
If anyone craves a chanel bag, cant afford it and are trying to get away from it, this post can cure their craving.
patty
9 years ago
ummmmm…. im good.
Lulu
9 years ago
The girl bag is bar none the ugliest bag ever made by chanel, honestly its a lack of respect to ask that much money from that ugly, ugly piece.
Minnow
9 years ago
Maybe I’m the minority here, but really…? Kristen Stewart as its public face…? Is this a new trend, ie Calvin Klein x Bieber, Balmain x Kanye/Kardashian. Not a fan.
You’re not. I don’t get her same face expression in all photos. Apparently Karl likes it.
et
9 years ago
The “I am not for sale” bag…any of those proceeds going to organizations that do anti-trafficking work? The bag leaves a bad taste in my mouth honestly. The women who are able to afford the bag essentially are at very low risk for being trafficked. It really feels disrespectful towards the women and girls who are violated daily.
Also the “feminist but feminine”? Really? Apparently these two things are mutually exclusive? Sounds like a slogan created by person w a very poor understanding of what feminism is.
While I agree that the vast majority of these bags are shockingly ugly and a testament to why I stopped buying this brand several years back, I do feel I have to defend the slogan clutches. The translation this post provides is not correct. The first is “I am not ON sale” which of course refers to pricing of fashion bags, not human beings. While I’m not sure I support the snobbism implied in wanting to insist you paid full price for something, I am sure it was meant in a tounge-in-cheek way. And re: the feminist bag, while the translation is correct, culturally the words have more/different weights in French. Picking apart the words is a mistake, as it is the phrase as a whole that has the meaning.. the phrase refers to how women can be feminists, fight unreservedly for their rights and yet need not be any less feminine (so in this case, care about having a designer bag). It is actually a powerful statement, not something that demeans feminism. All that said, I think the outrageous price Chanel charges for their plexi bags is the insulting thing.
I felt the same way. Both slogans are distasteful, one is offensive. The first implies that being feminine is a desirable trait and, like you said, something that is not associated with feminism. It definitely rubs me the wrong way.
“I am not for sale” is disgusting. I totally agree with you. I got the vibe that the intent was “I may dress like a sex worker but I’m not, hehe!” And once you brought up the sex trafficking bit… yeah. Not okay.
This is exactly the reason why I don’t like Chanel. The fact that I thought the chevron bags were gorgeous is completely overshadowed by their ill-conceived concept clutches.
Are you trying to imply that in order to be devoted to fashion one must like Chanel? Terrible thought, which actually shows how little you know of fashion and sounds quite “tacky”.
Gia
9 years ago
Chevron mini is super cute!
FashionableLena
9 years ago
The Girl Bag looks like something you’d find at a ghetto flea market. Terrible. I like the chevron pattern on the bags. In all honesty, I only like numbers 5, 14, and 24. Some of them just look as though Chanel knocked off themselves. I’ll just keep saving up for that Gucci.
ninakix
9 years ago
Yeah, I’m not a fan of these… The Chevron isn’t great, it’s just, whatever. I think some of these bags would be better with a little bit deeper quilting. Others, like the top handle bag, feel a bit like they’re trying to pick up on some of the other aesthetics that are coming out, but it just feels a bit odd. They remind me a bit of Chloe for some reason, not sure why. The girls are just, meh. Very Jeremy Scott of them. There’s a version of this that could maybe work, but it’s too literal in this incarnation. The shape itself would maybe work. As for the grunge effect bags, I thought the Chanel backpack was overpriced for what it is, and it’s still true for this incarnation.
CatR
9 years ago
I wonder if Chanel will sell the buttons/pins as separate items? Those are cute.
Keiah
9 years ago
Is Karl seriously trying to make the Girl bag happen? It’s not gonna happen.
lol exactly! karl should resign each collection he launches fails much more miserably than the previous!
Topazz
9 years ago
The Chevron’s are the only bags worth an approval. The girl bags are too ugly to look at.
Leila
9 years ago
They have some gorgeous evening clutches in chevron this season , could you add them here plz ??!
Sparkletastic
9 years ago
Yuck…just yuck! They should have debuted this line on April Fool’s Day. Then we could have appreciated the joke knowing it was never going to hit the stores or the street!
Lvlove
9 years ago
There is a reason why the post shows printed boy bag pic!! Rest of them are just :-/
DEMIYUNSHU
9 years ago
The print is gorgeous tho especially on the boy bag. Does anyone think the printed mini flap is worth an investment?
Susie
9 years ago
The chevron bags look like they are the only ones worth getting. :
mkdallas
9 years ago
Those are almost all major miss-steps, IMHO. Chanel has raised their prices so much in the past 10 years; perhaps they are trying to broaden their market to attract new buyers with some of these less-traditional designs. Not too sound hateful or snobbish, but I pretty much wouldn’t be caught dead carrying 90% of these bags. The last one I bought was a Modern Chain flap in 2007…now that was a great example of giving an old classic a slightly more youthful and edgy look.
DEMIYUNSHU
9 years ago
tbh I’m catching onto the girl bag as I see more people carrying them..Chanel won’t actually do wrong. The girl bag is pretty in its own way. And the fact that it’s named “girl” right beside “the boy” says how much expectation karl has for this style
maria ridolfi
9 years ago
Limited Editions are just that – limited… Stick to the classics and
you’ll always have an investment piece. Once the hype is gone these
limited editions are not worth what you pay for them.
Maria http://www.asecondchanceresale.com
Kagem
9 years ago
the washed fabric bag is a total mess.
abigail
9 years ago
does anyone know if #17 would be like a duffel bag size ?
sallysf
9 years ago
I don’t get why everyone hates these bags. I am obsessed with them. I don’t believe everything needs to be classic looking. I was never really drawn to the chanel bags for myself all though they are beautiful bags its not really my style. But this line of bags i love so much. It has personality. I love that they are colorful and egdy. I really want a few of these bags. I think the Chanel Women is us to really soft feminine or classic bags but it does’t hurt to try something new. I can imagine this slightly rugged whimsical bag paired with a aviators, worn jeans, leather and a plain white t…all i have to say is obsessed. I am a fan. I know a lot of you would disagree but i love it.
They are all over the place, it’s hard to call it collection. But I guess Chanel is trying to rich masses.
Wilma
9 years ago
Unlike the sloppy lines of the Girl Bag, the Painted Tweed (slide 23) , Printed Velvet Messenger (slide 26) and the Hand-Painted Lambskin (slide 14) bags combine urban street cred with the classic elegance of Chanel very well.
shopper
9 years ago
I can’t afford Chanel. If I managed to buy one I’d have to get a basic, classic bag for unlimited use. While I don’t like the design of the washed fabric bags above, they are obviously marketed to very wealthy people who can afford to spend thousands on a trend bag and toss it after one season.
I really like #24 above. Fun and fresh without being silly.
I agree what some people below have posted – while I believe many of these designs fail, Chanel MUST take risks and try new ideas. The women who are wealth enough to buy a bag as an afterthought to match their Chanel ready-to-wear are keeping them in business. Not women like me!!
PS: thank you so much for helping out by sharing prices.
Wow, okay. The Girl Bags are really, really quite bad. Not sure how those slipped through to mass production. I also think the three last ones, the washed fabric bags, are pretty terrible. I think Chanel was like “our backpacks have been a great success, let’s continue in that grungy direction” but these just look so dirty. I also am not a fan of this round of plexiglass clutches, which is probably for the better because I wouldn’t be able to afford them. I’m still not a fan of the top handled bags, but in comparison to some of the other pieces here (can’t get over those girl bags!), I’ll let it slide.
Now that I’ve gotten what I think is not working (really, really not working) out of the way, I think that the metallic python flap is extraordinary and the hand painted lambskin one that looks like newspaper is fantastic.
The black on black chevron is gorgeous. Very very tempted. The girl bags not so much.
Can’t wait to see someone wearing the girl bag. Kinda cool looking, I think.
The alligator flap is stunning .
Overall I think most of these bags are pretty horrible. Those girl bags look like something out of cheap store for teenagers. I think most of them are too masculine. Ugg, I am going to look at the Dior post and cleanse my eyes. 🙂
It’s Derelicte!
Ha ha ha! Made me LOL! Thanks.
Yes, but with a little hippie twist.
Absolument!!
overall, this is probably one of the uglier collections i’ve ever seen in my life, that being said, i’m probably still going to buy #17 assuming it’s a good alternate for a duffel bag size
Hi. I have a question. Is Chanel Petite Shopper Bag discontinued or not? I ‘m thinking to get one! Please let me know and thank you.
Oh my, the Girl bag is ugly as hell!
Bowling bags aren’t bad, but not good either………
the girl bag is hideous.
I like the printed boy bag though.
Cannot WAIT to read all the comments on this bunch of bags!! 😀 Yikes!!
Luv the washed bowling bag
that is the one i am obsessed with myself =))
Um… Some nice pieces… A lot of them are sort of gaudy and tacky, I am not a fan of the Girl bags. I am sort of confused looking at this collection!
The girl bags are cut but more utilitarian. I actually LIKE them. That blue flap croc though is DEFINITELY calling my name!!!!
Overall, I think this is Chanel’s way of separating themselves from the masses. They want to be known for these eccentric bags and you can get a Chanel Jumbo Flap but you can’t walk into a store and buy one. The prices of these are not for the faint of heart suggesting again that they aren’t trying to appeal to a mass audience as Louis Vuitton has. Overall, I think the collection is interesting not sure how I feel about the quotes all over the outrageously expensive plexiglass clutches. I think the printed boy bag will be the biggest hit of the season.
Christina Samoylov
Founder
http://www.designer-Vault.com
Love the Boy shopping tote and the chevron bags and the Alligator bag is gorgeous. The rest? Meh…
Girl Bag…yuck. Looks like Chanel took a page out of the Moschino playbook.
I think the chevron black on black is where it’s at this spring for Chanel. I’m entertaining the idea of getting it in the mini.
ummm, yeah…no. I do love the Painted Tweed Messenger though.
I love love love the black on black chevron flap. I bought a chevron flap with ghw last year but I have to have the black one! It’s so me! I do like the watercolored Boy bags, but the rest of the collection is mehhh. Have you seen Rihanna toting around for the last few days with the Girl bag? It’s just plain weird…
I think I like the new girl bag somewhat.
The green color on that Boy Bag is gorgeous. The messenger bag is nice, but I don’t like the grey color. The top handle flaps would be nice if the leather didn’t look so cheap.
The Girl bag seriously looks like something you’d by at a swap meet
Wow…very UNDERWHELMING collection…
I think perhaps my favorite of the lot is the messenger; I hope to see it in other colors. The top handle is actually kind of cute, but I don’t see myself buying it. The bowler looks wonderfully utilitarian and I rather like it in the beige color. Alligator flap=divine. And I am ALWAYS a sucker for denim in the summer. These patchwork denim boys are cute for the 70’s looks and bell bottoms that are all over the place. And even though I really don’t get the Girl bags (and I agree that there’s a reference to Moschino here), I still think they’re better than those cocoon bags from a few years ago.
Ugh why did they make the boy bags so awesome but the girl bags so hideous?! Wtf
The girl bag looks like something you could find on Etsy.
A couple of these bags are cute — printed boy and whip stitch — but for most, take a way the double CCs and the bag becomes completely undesirable.
If anyone craves a chanel bag, cant afford it and are trying to get away from it, this post can cure their craving.
ummmmm…. im good.
The girl bag is bar none the ugliest bag ever made by chanel, honestly its a lack of respect to ask that much money from that ugly, ugly piece.
Maybe I’m the minority here, but really…? Kristen Stewart as its public face…? Is this a new trend, ie Calvin Klein x Bieber, Balmain x Kanye/Kardashian. Not a fan.
You’re not. I don’t get her same face expression in all photos. Apparently Karl likes it.
The “I am not for sale” bag…any of those proceeds going to organizations that do anti-trafficking work? The bag leaves a bad taste in my mouth honestly. The women who are able to afford the bag essentially are at very low risk for being trafficked. It really feels disrespectful towards the women and girls who are violated daily.
Also the “feminist but feminine”? Really? Apparently these two things are mutually exclusive? Sounds like a slogan created by person w a very poor understanding of what feminism is.
While I agree that the vast majority of these bags are shockingly ugly and a testament to why I stopped buying this brand several years back, I do feel I have to defend the slogan clutches. The translation this post provides is not correct. The first is “I am not ON sale” which of course refers to pricing of fashion bags, not human beings. While I’m not sure I support the snobbism implied in wanting to insist you paid full price for something, I am sure it was meant in a tounge-in-cheek way. And re: the feminist bag, while the translation is correct, culturally the words have more/different weights in French. Picking apart the words is a mistake, as it is the phrase as a whole that has the meaning.. the phrase refers to how women can be feminists, fight unreservedly for their rights and yet need not be any less feminine (so in this case, care about having a designer bag). It is actually a powerful statement, not something that demeans feminism. All that said, I think the outrageous price Chanel charges for their plexi bags is the insulting thing.
I felt the same way. Both slogans are distasteful, one is offensive. The first implies that being feminine is a desirable trait and, like you said, something that is not associated with feminism. It definitely rubs me the wrong way.
“I am not for sale” is disgusting. I totally agree with you. I got the vibe that the intent was “I may dress like a sex worker but I’m not, hehe!” And once you brought up the sex trafficking bit… yeah. Not okay.
This is exactly the reason why I don’t like Chanel. The fact that I thought the chevron bags were gorgeous is completely overshadowed by their ill-conceived concept clutches.
If you do not like Chanel you should not comment on fashion all together. Join feminist group instead… We are in 2015 not in the 70’s…….
Are you trying to imply that in order to be devoted to fashion one must like Chanel? Terrible thought, which actually shows how little you know of fashion and sounds quite “tacky”.
Chevron mini is super cute!
The Girl Bag looks like something you’d find at a ghetto flea market. Terrible. I like the chevron pattern on the bags. In all honesty, I only like numbers 5, 14, and 24. Some of them just look as though Chanel knocked off themselves. I’ll just keep saving up for that Gucci.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of these… The Chevron isn’t great, it’s just, whatever. I think some of these bags would be better with a little bit deeper quilting. Others, like the top handle bag, feel a bit like they’re trying to pick up on some of the other aesthetics that are coming out, but it just feels a bit odd. They remind me a bit of Chloe for some reason, not sure why. The girls are just, meh. Very Jeremy Scott of them. There’s a version of this that could maybe work, but it’s too literal in this incarnation. The shape itself would maybe work. As for the grunge effect bags, I thought the Chanel backpack was overpriced for what it is, and it’s still true for this incarnation.
I wonder if Chanel will sell the buttons/pins as separate items? Those are cute.
Is Karl seriously trying to make the Girl bag happen? It’s not gonna happen.
lol exactly! karl should resign each collection he launches fails much more miserably than the previous!
The Chevron’s are the only bags worth an approval. The girl bags are too ugly to look at.
They have some gorgeous evening clutches in chevron this season , could you add them here plz ??!
Yuck…just yuck! They should have debuted this line on April Fool’s Day. Then we could have appreciated the joke knowing it was never going to hit the stores or the street!
There is a reason why the post shows printed boy bag pic!! Rest of them are just :-/
The print is gorgeous tho especially on the boy bag. Does anyone think the printed mini flap is worth an investment?
The chevron bags look like they are the only ones worth getting. :
Those are almost all major miss-steps, IMHO. Chanel has raised their prices so much in the past 10 years; perhaps they are trying to broaden their market to attract new buyers with some of these less-traditional designs. Not too sound hateful or snobbish, but I pretty much wouldn’t be caught dead carrying 90% of these bags. The last one I bought was a Modern Chain flap in 2007…now that was a great example of giving an old classic a slightly more youthful and edgy look.
tbh I’m catching onto the girl bag as I see more people carrying them..Chanel won’t actually do wrong. The girl bag is pretty in its own way. And the fact that it’s named “girl” right beside “the boy” says how much expectation karl has for this style
Limited Editions are just that – limited… Stick to the classics and
you’ll always have an investment piece. Once the hype is gone these
limited editions are not worth what you pay for them.
Maria
http://www.asecondchanceresale.com
the washed fabric bag is a total mess.
does anyone know if #17 would be like a duffel bag size ?
I don’t get why everyone hates these bags. I am obsessed with them. I don’t believe everything needs to be classic looking. I was never really drawn to the chanel bags for myself all though they are beautiful bags its not really my style. But this line of bags i love so much. It has personality. I love that they are colorful and egdy. I really want a few of these bags. I think the Chanel Women is us to really soft feminine or classic bags but it does’t hurt to try something new. I can imagine this slightly rugged whimsical bag paired with a aviators, worn jeans, leather and a plain white t…all i have to say is obsessed. I am a fan. I know a lot of you would disagree but i love it.
i agreeee!
They are all over the place, it’s hard to call it collection. But I guess Chanel is trying to rich masses.
Unlike the sloppy lines of the Girl Bag, the Painted Tweed (slide 23) , Printed Velvet Messenger (slide 26) and the Hand-Painted Lambskin (slide 14) bags combine urban street cred with the classic elegance of Chanel very well.
I can’t afford Chanel. If I managed to buy one I’d have to get a basic, classic bag for unlimited use. While I don’t like the design of the washed fabric bags above, they are obviously marketed to very wealthy people who can afford to spend thousands on a trend bag and toss it after one season.
I really like #24 above. Fun and fresh without being silly.
I agree what some people below have posted – while I believe many of these designs fail, Chanel MUST take risks and try new ideas. The women who are wealth enough to buy a bag as an afterthought to match their Chanel ready-to-wear are keeping them in business. Not women like me!!
PS: thank you so much for helping out by sharing prices.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Chanel-Boy-Bag-Medium-in-Black-with-Silver-Hardware-FREE-POSTAGE-Paris-Salzburg-/252028848387?
the CHANEL BAGS are beautiful, 2015, rocks on the bags. heaven is where I was… too bad I would never own one. Sending all my love to these baby’s….