There are two chanel 2.55 bags you need to know about, the Birkin is one and the other, the Chanel 2.55. A typical Chanel handbag you say? Well, helllooooo, it’s called an icon! History was made when Coco Chanel 2.55 introduced this bag in February 1955 (as in, 2.55). Coco wanted a shoulder bag to free up her hands. Hey, she had other things to carry. The quilts were inspired by jackets worn by jockeys (yes, jockeys). This classic is being reissued for this season in white, black and silver, which we love the most. For the collectors out there, this is a must.
Chanel Cocoon handbags
Every once in a while Karl Lagerfeld makes a cheaper line of handbags, usually in nylon, and they are hardly ever a success. His latest are the Chanel Cocoon bags, and they are puffy, reversible totes. Yeah...two for the price of one. It seems Karl was inspired by the successful bubble quilt line, and thought to modify it into a cheaper production. At least he made a new line instead of putting this bag in the Chanel collection.
For the line, they choose Lily Allen as the face, portrayed as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's - which isn't that a sort of oxymoron itself? Classy/trashy.
The bags are set to be released October 10th, 2009.
Fashion Icon: Chanel 2.55 Handbag
We all love a nice handbag but the Chanel 2.55 is much more than that. The inspiration behind Coco Chanel's original design goes deeper than most of us realise. Female First look at the story behind one of our favourite ever handbags.
The chanel 2.55 bag was first introduced in February 1955- hence the name 2.55. Coco Chaneldesigned the bag for her own use so some of the features tell us a little bit about her lifestyle as the original fashionista.
When it was first brought out the Chanel 2.55 caused a stir amoungst the upmarket fashion lovers because it was one of the first to have a strap. Coco recognised that women on the go needed to have their hands free to hold glasses of champagne, eat canapes, read theatre programmes etc so the chain strap was added to make the chanel bag easy to carry on the shoulder.
But this isn't the only reason why the chanel 2.55 bag is such a fashion icon- it also tells the story of the life of Coco Chanel as she went from riches to rags and back again.
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel was born the daughter of a doctor and a lawyer, Brigitte and JohanChanel. She devolped an interest in fashion from a very young age after her mother took various tailors and showed her around the land of clothing and needles. However her mother was killed in a bizaare boating accident, leaving Johan to take care of Coco and her brother, Lawrence on his own.
Johan couldn't get over the death of his wife and committed suicide six months later leaving Coco to the care of an orphanage. Following the tragic death of both her parents Coco became sad and withdrawn and in fact she didn't speak at all from her father's death until she was six. Her only comfort was the sketches she loved to do.
Coco's time in the orphanage had a big impact on her life and influenced her future designs. The double chain design of the shoulder strap strap was inspired by her memories of the children’s’ caretakers in the orphanage who would dangle keys from their waists.
The brown/red colour on the inside of the chanel 2.55 bag in fact represents the colour of the uniforms Coco and the rest of the children had to wear in the orphanage.
It wasn't only Coco's childhood that went into her designing. The chanel 2.55 also has an secret compartment in the inside of the front flap and this is rumoured to be where Coco would keep her love letters during an affair she had with Nazi spy, Hans Gunther von Dincklage.
Chanel Fall/Winter 2009 handbags
The fall/winter 2009/2010 collection from Chanel is now available in Chanel boutiques. Channeling the winter months, Karl Lagerfeld brings in heavy material, tweed, and a splash of color with the perfect green and pink, as well as soft silk ribbons. The leather shoulder strap on the green and pink tweed bags is a departure from the classic chain strap...a departure I'm not fond of. I think the metal hardware compliments the tweed better than leather. The tweed is reminiscent of Chanel classic suits as is the quilted finish and chain strap.There is also the classical flap with interlaced ribbons which continues to bring dimension to the bag while offering a horizontal pattern rather than the expected diagonal.
My pick for Fall/Winter is the calfskin tote with tweed fringe (10th pic). However this entire collection, with the exception of the tweed bags with leather straps, is fabulous.
To get prices for these bags, you have to visit a boutique, they aren't available on line.
These first four bags are the "outstanding pieces" ie. the exotics.
Another secret pocket is featured in the outside flap at the back of the chanel bag. This is where Coco would keep a little bit of extra money she wanted to stash away.
The quilted material from which the chanel bag was made was based on the coats worn by jockeys. It was believed that Coco was fascinated by horse racing and wanted to pay tribute to that in the very personal design of the chanel 2.55 bag.
Coco chose to close all her shops during the Second World War and took up residence in the Hotel Ritz in Paris throughout the fighting. It's rumoured that it was her relationship with Von Dicklage that allowed her to remain there.
When the war was over Coco and the Chanel brand struggled to make a come back in the fashion industry- mostly due to her romance with the Nazi but she continued to live in the Ritz for 30 years until she died in her private suite on January 10, 1971, at 87 years old.
Chanel Spring/Summer 2010 handbags
Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by rustic couture for his Chanel spring 2010 collections, and while I'm not crazy about the shoes, I love the handbag collection. He had his classic quilted flap bag in straw colored tweed, as well as chicly tattered, beribboned, and embellished shoulder bag. He had a few variations of a double coin purse bag and a reincarnation of the sideways bag, this time in gold, floral embossed leather.
I really like the Chanel handbags in this collection and I think it's a huge improvement from his previous shows.
Since Coco's original design there have been many variations of the original design 2.55, including different colour leather/fabric, changes to the chain - metal vs. interwoven leather- and the fasten - mademoiselle vs. interlocking CC.
In 2005 Karl Lagerfeld revived the chanel 2.55 bag design exactly as Coco had made it for it's 50th anniversary and the new Reissue was even more popular than the original release.
Chanel Russian Doll Handbag
It seems Lily Allen is a fan of the Chanel Russian Doll clutch. When it was released with the Chanel fall 2009 collection, I thought it would be more of a collector's item, something you put in a display case rather than actually carry it. The fall '09 collection was a really great overall, even if this particular bag is a bit perplexing. This Russian doll bag is kind of cute, but it's very Judith Leiber, and I've never gotten her appeal. The 'bags' are completely unpractical! You can't fit the tiniest of cell phones in one. Anyway, this is just a very expensive doll. I would say that this 'design' is an insult to the Chanel label, but seriously, Karl L. has been pimping out their logo for some time now...remember the bicycle, the concept car and the most recent motorcycle?
Although Chanel 2.55 may just look like another designer chanel 2.55 bag each aspect of it's design contains a little part of the fashion icon that was Coco Chanel- therefore making it a true icon of fashion itself.
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