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.
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.
Chanel Leather Goods of Spring Summer 2010
As a grand master of luxury items, Karl Lagerfeld has never failed to surprise us with his gorgeous designs. The Chanel 2010 Spring Summer Collection is no exception. You may have been convinced that the spring summers days are for bright and colorful eye-catching handbags. But the cheering up theory does not work with Chanel. It is another shocking collection after his amazing paper-folded camellia collection in down 2009. Once again he has successfully applied the simple grey color and natural cotton linen fabric in handbag making.
This time its leather goods collection consists of three parts–outstanding pieces, bags and small leather goods. There are two marvelous and innovative bags in the first set. It is hard to imagine and it is hard to carry out unless in cocktail parties, I am afraid. One is a metal, fabric and rope basket embellished with fabric flowers, jewelry accents and ribbons and the other is a quilted classic flap bag with Chanel signature turn-lock and interlaced chain strap, and the bag is embellished with silk layers and Lemarie fabric flowers.
The bags collection contains 14 bags: quilted classic flap bag in fabric with CC turn-lock and interlaced chain strap, embellished with fabric camellias; quilted classic flap bag in satin with Chanel signature turn-lock and interlaced chain strap; classic flap bag in tweed and silk with Chanel signature turn-lock and interlaced chain strap; classic flap bag with interlaced chain strap and embellished with crochet flowers; quilted classic flap bag in printed lambskin with Chanel signature turn-lock and interlaced chain strap; classic flap bag in tweed with Chanel signature turn-lock and interlaced chain strap; quilted “Double Bag” in patent calfskin: mini classic flap bag with CHANEL signature turn-lock, interlaced chain strap and clutch with clasp closure;
Mini quilted bag in satin with interlaced chain strap; quilted classic flap bag in fabric with metallic Chanel signature and interlaced chain strap; quilted flap bag in soft calfskin with interlaced chain; woven fabric basket with Chanel signature pendant and leather interlaced handles; shopping tote in woven fabric embellished with a Lemarie tweed flower; interlaced chain and CHANEL signature pendant in fabric and metal; quilted denim bag with interlaced chain-and-denim strap.
The small leather goods set includes four bags: mini classic flap bag in quilted patent calfskin with interlaced chain strap
Mini zipped evening case in sueded kidskin with suede tab closure adorned by a bijou button
Zipped wallet in metallic patent calfskin with CHANEL signature
Yen holder in lambskin embossed with camellias
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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.
Beyonce dines with Chanel
No matter how popular Beyonce and Jay-Z are, they still come off as a fairly down to Earth couple. Well, I mean, as down to Earth someone like Beyonce, who has been known to pull in $2 million for a single appearance can be.
So, even megamega stars have to eat and enjoy a good date night from time to time. Here Beyonce and Jay-Z were spotted leaving dinner in NYC. While they both look relatively casual, I do wonder how much their designer duds set them back. You better be sure that Beyonce rocks amazing handbags just like this Chanel Lucky Charms bag.
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.
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.
FASHION WEEK SPRING 2010: CHANEL
I must disagree, strenuously and vociferously, with the reintroduction of the wood-bottom clog to the high fashion lexicon. Even when these particular wood-bottom clogs are from Chanel Spring 2010. I will not stand for it.
What I do like, however, is smiling. Models smiling. When was the last time that you saw model after model, looking reasonably happy and human, in a major fashion show. In the fashion show of Paris Fashion Week? And do my eyes deceive me, or was supermodel Sasha Pivovarova talking on a cell phone on the runway?
And is that hay? Did Karl Lagerfeld turn the Grand Palais into abarn?
Yes and yes.
Quite honestly, regardless of the clothes (which were reasonably fabulous, but not the best of the week. Like I said in a previous post, Alexander McQueen already won), Chanel’s show appeared to be the most joyful. At my college, we had a saying: our team may occasionally lose a football game, but we’ve never lost a party. And that’s exactly what Chanel did this week: they won the party. I mean, they even had a live band! With Lily Allen! Was there a keg? If there was a keg, I bet it was really nice beer.
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.
Whitney Port is Cochella hipster with Chanel
Hmmmm. I don’t know if I would have ever expected to see a Chanel bag at the Cochella Music Festivalin Indio, CA. As much as I love Chanel, I just don’t think I could take one to some crowded festival with all sorts of adult beverages being consumed. I’d be pretty bummed if anything spilled on it.
Apparently that’s not something our girl Whitney Port has to worry about. The Hills turned The Citystar was spotted at the super popular music festival toting a Chanel Classic Flap while showing off some skin. I realize she has legs that go on for miles, but for some reason I don’t think this particular pair of shorts is as flattering as something else could be.
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.
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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