Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Chanel 2.55



A timeless classic.

It's one of those iconic bags that will never go out of style.

Designed by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel herself, it was named after the date of its inception, February 1955.

Even until today, it remains as stylish as it was 51 years ago. In fashion, there are very few things that can last the test of time, but this purse has proven its charms.

Chanel 2.55, often referred to as the "classic flap bag" by sales associates, has been said to be the foundation of any handbag collection.

The double chain shoulder strap was invented by Coco Chanel to free up use of women's hands; and the diamond quilted design was inspired by jockey’s coats. It also features double flap closure with a larger exterior pocket for illicit love letters *winks*, and interior pockets to keep lipsticks and compacts in place.

In the 1980’s, Karl Lagerfeld put the CC monogram turn clasp into the design which has since become a sensation. It's one of my favourite features on the purse, I have zero resistance towards anything with interlocking CC's.

Over the years, this bag has been redone in every possible way. When it comes to purchasing a bag with so many variations, there are so many things to decide on. The material, the edition, the colour, the hardware, the size, etc etc.

If only we each have an unlimited Chanel fund for us to splurge on whatever that tickles our fancy ey?

If I had to choose, my all time favourite is still the plain quilted classic flap bag with interlocking CC clasp. And for this particular design, I prefer gold hardware over silver ones. Personally, I think gold adds that extra touch of elegance to the bag, and looks better with the leather interwoven chains.

Having said that, I'm more inclined to go with silver hardware for Chanel 2.55 Reissues though. But the Chanel 2.55 Reissue deserves a post on its own, so I'll save that for another day.

If you're unsure about which hardware to pick, some base their decisions on the colour of their jewelries. Go with gold hardware if you wear yellow gold more often, and silver if you wear white gold/platinum/silver more.

Now the leather. It's lambskin for me all the way! I just love how unbelievably soft and smooth it is. The supple finish of the quilted lambskin often reminds me of soft spongy marshmallows. How can you not love it?

However, beauty comes with a price. Apart from costing a little more than caviar, the lambskin is rather high maintenance and scratches very easily.

Caviar, on the other hand, is a somewhat grainy leather and much more durable. Given my carelessness and inability to take good care of anything, caviar is definitely a more sensible choice.

As usual, a decision between the beauty and practicality. -_-

The medium classic flap bag with the measurement of 10" x 6" x 3" is the most popular size among all. If you're just starting, this is definitely a safe choice to go about.

If you're a hobbit like me, the small 2.55 (9" x 5.5" x 2.5") might suit most petite frames better. But the thing is, you can hardly fit anything in it, especially after a checkbook wallet.

For some reason, the large/jumbo (12" x 8" x 3.5") doesn't feature a double flap inside like the rest. However, this particular size is continually gaining its popularity since it's been spotted on almost every A-list Hollywood celebrities. Though it looks a little overwhelming on me, it absolutely makes me weak in the knees. I've been lugging around oversized bags for as long as I can remember anyway, what's another jumbo size Chanel huh? :)

Chanel 2.55 comes in more lovely colours than I can count.

I love the pastel colours. To name a few - pale blue, pale pink, coral pink, beige, white, ivory, pale purple, baby blue, et cetera et cetera. Certain colours are harder to come by compared to others. For example, not many Chanel store has white in stock, especially those with gold hardware.

White Chanel 2.55 with silver hardware


The stronger colours, such as red, burgundy, yellow, violet and etc, definitely make a fashion statement. I once saw a Chanel 2.55 in a gorgeous shade of plum, it was so pretty that I nearly cried.

As much as my eyes are dazzled by all the (more) exciting colours, I'm gonna go out on a limb and recommend you sticking to the classic black or white for your first Chanel. And if you have extra cash to burn later on, there's always room for more colours in your Chanel collection.

I absolutely heart the ivory lambskin classic flap with gold hardware. It has chic and elegance written all over it.

Ivory Chanel 2.55 with gold hardware


But if you're clumsy like me, go black. C'mon, let's face it. Not everyone can wear white and not spill on it, but black will always be the new black.

Black Chanel 2.55 with gold hardware


A black medium Chanel 2.55. It's truly a bag that will last you a life time.

Vintage black Chanel 2.55 with gold hardware


Are you in love yet?

20 left a petal:

Anonymous said...

Oooh I love love this classic Chanel design. But its RM6000 the last I checked so um... not yet lol...

Olive Poppy said...

Tuktoyaktuk: Yeah, I think the caviar and lambskin (medium) retails for AUD$2150 and AUD$2400 respectively in Melbourne.

It's steep, but I'd rather pay for a classic chanel over a Miu Miu Coffer bag anytime. :)

Anonymous said...

I always love to own a Chanel but.. I had to gasp for air everytime I checked the price.

The only Chanel I ever owned was a No.5 ;)

Olive Poppy said...

Jemima: Haha. Women are suckers for overpriced stuff, that's what my boyfriend always says.

g_h_s said...

Hi,

I'm trying to sell an authentic Chanel cavier 2.55 flappbag on ebay right now and I was wondering if I could use your poetic description in order to try to sell the bag. Could I?

Anonymous said...

Sarah
how much are you selling the bag for and could you post the link for the listing...I am very interested

beauty411 said...

One of these days I'm going to break down & get this handbag!

BBKING said...

are u still selling the Chanel bag?

Anonymous said...

Hey!
im deciding between the small size and the bigger size!!!
i love the small one, its classic, chic, and looks beautiful. but like you u said, there is no space!!! i can fit the bare min...so id only use it at night.

the bigger purse has the perfect amount of space. i feel it is a bit bulky on me. I have the petit shopper so i'm used to a bag sitting flat against my side.

i love them both, but the smaller one a bit more... the only problem is the space!!!

either will be in black caviar with silver hardwear
- i would love white but it would never stay white!

i need advise pleasE! thanks

Simone, San Diego

Anonymous said...

Just bought my gf a 2.55 black with glod trimmings. Never thought about it till i actually saw the bag ~ whoa that's worth the RM7470 i paid @ Chanel KLCC for it. Its gone up by over RM1,000 since i bought it at the end of last month. Planning to give it to her when i see her at Christmas ~ hope she likes it...

Olive Poppy said...

Oh, I didn't even know that people still comment on this post. My bad my bad.

Sarah: Your auction probably ended yonks ago, so here is hoping that it went well and your bag went to a good home. :)

Girlfriend: Nothing makes a girl feel good like good-ol Channel does.

Simone: And you should've gotten your very own Chanel 2.55 by now. Enjoy! :)

Kit: She's a very lucky girl, and no girl will turn down a Channel.

Eve1ynS said...

Hey, this is somewhat overdue but your post on the 2.55 was really helpful when I was shopping for my very first one. In the end I got one from their 07 Spring/Summer precollection (http://eve1yns.blogs.friendster.com/evelyn/2007/05/chanel_255.html). ^-^

Olive Poppy said...

Eve1ynS: Congrats on the new bag, gal! It's absolutely gorgeous! :)

shoesarefab said...

I have the black caviar 2.55 with gold hardware in the small version for evenings and then a red and a violet with gold hardware in the medium size for day use.

I absolutely love these bags and they are well worth saving up for. Personally I'm not keen on the silver hardware, the gold looks much classier.

Anonymous said...

hi, how much is the black 2.55 chanel classic with gold hardware ? im planning to get the medium sized with lambskin one at the chanel shop in collins st one of these days . does anyone know how much will it cost me?

jocelyn

Unknown said...

Hi. I just got my first chanel 2.55 in a lovely beige color. It's so small that i can hardly fit anything in and its cost me a bomb. But I love it and enjoyed using it the last 2 weeks since i got my hands on it. Positively orgasmic!

Jan Tasche said...

So I was sent here because of the question Channel or Dior.. I am still not sure :D

but this one looks really fine.. maybe a little bit to expensive

Jessie said...

I love for the fact that Chanel bag are classic, they have two I think; the flap and the 2.55 reissue, but then you also have the tote bag and WOC which are less famous, how long will it take to collect them ALL?

Hermes is even worst, they have like thousansd of bag and even if you think you have collect them all, they will come up with a new Birkin and Kelly with different material.

BTW congrat. with your new bag =)

bouich said...

reaally good i like it please keep up like this it's really nice

pirater un compte facebook said...

really good keep up the good work!