Omega Watches,Replica Watches Blogger

I’m having a vintage moment lately. Last weekend, I spent 3 hours on Friday afternoon looking for vintage art deco costume jewelry on eBay. I really want a 70s faux fur jacket. The Stephen Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton won me over long ago. And then this morning, I was lucky enough to find the utterly charming Chanel Vintage Le Train Bag.

When there are so many bags that are weathered and treated to look old when they’re actually brand new, it’s refreshing to look at a beautiful bag that is actually a piece of fashion history. The train illustration on this coated-canvas tote is so adorable and utterly Parisian that it serves as a wonderful reminder of not only the brand’s inventiveness, but also its cultural significance.

I like this bag better than most anything I’ve seen from Lagerfeld & Co. lately, and I wish that more of the irreverent French influence found its way into bags like this today. I don’t know that I’d be willing to pay the asking price for this piece (particularly since it’s not leather), but if I had the extra money laying around, this would absolutely be at the top of my list. Buy through ShopBop for $2420.

ShopBop continues to bring us a small, eclectic group of vintage handbags. What are we digging the most? The Chanel bags. Chanel vintage handbags show us that the brand is not only timeless but also that their designs continue to be relevant. The newest addition to the vintage collection at ShopBop is a Chanel Vinyl Bag which features signature chain straps with a clear vinyl body and interlocking black letter Cs at the front and back.

The reason this bag doesn’t do much for me is because I have never loved vinyl bags. If I wanted to own a vinyl bag, this could be it. I can picture pairing this bag with large oversized sunglasses and a casual outfit of jeans and a tee. In my mind it looks good. The other thing about a clear bag is to make sure whatever is showing through is not entirely awful. I would opt for oversized colorful pouches to be the innards which will show through with a little pop of color. Dimensions are 12.5″H x 16.5″L x 4.5″D. Buy through ShopBop for $2,860.

When we covered the runway debut of the Chanel Spring/Summer 2010 Handbags back in October, reviews were mixed. Some people appreciated the slightly barnyard feel of the collection, others thought it wasn’t luxurious or sophisticated enough for the Chanel customer.

As time has passed, my opinion has softened a bit. They didn’t go as straw-heavy on the bags that made it to retail, and several of the non-straw bags are totally lovely. My personal favorite is the watercolored Classic Flap Bag, which would look utterly elegant with a variety of summer wardrobe options.

On the downside, they’re apparently still trying to make those puffy Coco Cocoon bags happen; I was really wishing that they were going to be a one-season experiment, what with their startling resemblance to trash bags. As for the straw bags that dot the collection, they’re very taste-specific, but I could see some of the more subdued version working quite well with summery white linen or various bright colors for contrast. We’ve got pictures of all the bags, after the jump.

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Some people dream for years of owning a Chanel Classic Flap Bag or Chanel Reissue 2.55 Flap Bag, some already own multiples of each, and still others think that they’re too traditional and played-out. I couldn’t agree less with that third group of people – with lots of finishes, colors and sizes, Chanel’s famous flaps have a little something that everyone can appreciate, if you stay open-minded. Still on the fence? Allow me to persuade you…

1. They’re just going to go up in price later: Seriously, are you considering buying one? If you are, go ahead and do it. Chanel is among the masters of the crippling price increase, jacking up the MSRPs of its bags every six months to a year, sometimes by as much as $500 for a basic bag. As a general rule, bags don’t hold their value all that well, but constantly rising prices keep the timeless flap bags fairly easy to resell later. Plus, even if you don’t take resale into consideration, you’re just going to have to fork over more cash if you wait.

2. Owning one is like getting in to one of the most exclusive sororities on campus: Except, you know, this is real life. Legendary actresses, socialites and royals have carried this bag, and hey, if you can’t marry a prince, you can at least buy the same bag as the broads who can. Or the same bag as the girls from The Hills – it seems as though the bag has become the go-to accessory when a younger woman wants to signal to the world that she has grown and matured into a fashionable lady.

3. So many designers have been “inspired” by the flap – if you’re going to pay big bucks, get the original: Everyone from Urban Outfitters to Marc Jacobs has been accused of stealing from Chanel’s signature bag, and there’s a good reason for that – it’s timeless, iconic and still as relevant to luxury customers today as it was back in the 1950s. Chain straps and quilted leather have become nearly synonymous with the idea of the designer handbag, and the Chanel flap may even be more well-known across the world than the illustrious handbag holy grail, the Hermes Birkin.

4. Buy a flap bag in caviar leather and it will likely outlive me and you both: Seriously, that stuff is indestructible. Run your fingers – no, better yet, run your fingernails along it next time you’re near a Chanel bag made of the material, and you’ll see what I mean. It has a finish nearly as tough as Louis Vuitton monogram canvas, but you’re paying for actual leather instead of, well, canvas. With how much those monogram bags run these days, the price of a neutral leather Chanel bag with similar durability seems downright reasonable. But…

5. Despite their cultural ubiquity, the bags themselves are still too price-prohibitive for everyone to own: They come in sizes ranging from XS to XL, but even the smallest of the Chanel flap bags is way more expensive than the average woman wants to spend. You’re in no danger of seeing your bag on every woman on the block (unless you live on a really, really nice block, but if you do, there’s probably no sense in trying to stay one step ahead anyway), and even if you see a lot of people carrying non-Chanel bags that look similar, there’s absolutely no comparison when you see and hold a Chanel flap bag in person.

Prices start around $2000. Please contact Chanel customer service at (800) 550-0005 for more information.

What is there to say about the Chanel 2.55 Reissue Alligator Flap Bag that isn’t already patently obvious, just from looking at it? I’m not sure, so feel free to ignore my words and have your own private droolfest over this thing. I wouldn’t blame you at all.

What we have here is the standard 2.55 Reissue Flap with Mademoiselle chain, rendered in perfect patina’d alligator. It’s from the Pre-Spring 2010 collection, it’s utterly gorgeous, and it’s out of my price range. That doesn’t mean I can’t look at it, however – looking is free, and I encourage all of you to do as much of it as possible. This is a bag that deserves to be seen.

Price figures for this bag are hard to come by, but conventional wisdom puts it in the $20,000-$30,000 price range (which may actually be a bit conservative.) Is it really worth that much? I guess that depends on how big of a bite that would take out of your bank account. Either way, it was surely be a lovely thing to have in the closet for those days when your outfit needs a bit of reptilian flair. For price and purchase information, contact Chanel at (800) 550-0005

Last week on Want it Wednesday, I put together an entire outfit that I wanted. This week, all I ask for is one bag, one simple bag. Is that too much to ask? What I want is Chanel and why I want it should be clear. The simplistic design is ubiquitous of Chanel. Ivory is not a color I am drawn to, for fear of showing dirt and wear, but this ivory leather bag looks so soft, smooth, and sexy, I can’t stop wanting it.

The quilted top flap is on top of the two sac plain leather body of the Chanel Sac en Cuir Doux Bag. There is the typical Chanel sophistication while still remaining fresh and fun. Don’t expect anything other than supremely soft leather, as Chanel never disappoints with their quality. Buy through Chanel for $3,150.

Economic conditions have been tough for a lot of luxury companies lately, but the brands that are weathering the recession the best seem to be the ones with the healthiest sense of history. Companies like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have both launched recent initiatives to link their storied pasts to their modern presents in the minds of customers, and it looks as though Chanel is dipping its perfectly manicured toes into similar waters.

Starting on May 8th, Chanel’s New York flagship on 57th Street will host The Secrets of the Chanel Handbag, an exhibit demonstrating the construction and history of the company’s iconic purses. Displays explaining how the bags are built and how they’ve evolved over the past half a century will be there, as well as a number of bags from the brand’s Paris archives. This may be your only opportunity to see some of these pieces in person, so if you’re in New York City, consider dropping by and having a look (and if you get pictures of anything, send them our way). The exhibit will run through May 16.

I wish with every fiber of my being that more online stores stocked vintage luxury bags. There’s something that I find so alluring about vintage – much of it, particularly those items made by luxury houses, has the feel of true exclusivity that even most high-end bags are missing these days.

Most of us know that almost everything we buy is made in factories, not by a talented artisan that cares about his work, and that makes luxury goods a bit less fun. With vintage, at least we can pretend that it was made by a guy named Francois in a picturesque workshop, diligently sewing bags while wearing a beret and smoking a hand-rolled cigarette. Or at least that’s what happens in my head. Perhaps Francois had a hand in the lovely Chanel Vintage Speedy Bag? I bet no one can prove to me that he didn’t – it’s vintage, after all.

This is not your average vintage Chanel bag – classic flaps are fairly easy to find at high-end vintage shops and, if you have nerves of steel, on eBay, but styles that were only made for a short period of time and don’t have the “iconic” status of a flap bag are what really intrigue me. I particularly like the large metal pieces on the ends and that this bag uses a specially woven leather to mimic the brand’s trademark quilts – the details go a long way in a vintage piece. I don’t know if I’d pay the premium for it, but if you want a Chanel bag that you’ll probably never see on anyone else, something like this is right up your alley. Buy through ShopBop for $4180.

After the faux-fur-on-ice (literally) escapades of Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection, it was hard to predict the direction in which Karl Lagerfeld would go for his next collection, Chanel Cruise 2011. Well, after the collection’s presentation in Saint-Tropez, we know that Kaiser Karl has his mind planted firmly in the Riviera of the 60s and 70s. Models arrived to the show by speedboat and Georgia May Jagger, daughter of Mick, graced the runways to give the show some retro cred (it also doesn’t hurt that Georgia May looks like Brigitte Bardot. Startlingly so.)

The clothes recreated the era fantastically, even though a few pieces would probably have best been left in the time period from whence they came. Most of them, however, were a welcome contrast to the version of the 60s that graced fall runways – tailored, traditional, neutral. The flowing, flowered caftans, jumpsuits and crocheted overlays had a distinct flower-child appeal, and they look utterly appropriate for the cruise crowd: airy, light and perfect for the deck of a yacht. If you like what you see, order early, though – the Kate Hudsons of the world will likely buy the entire collection out from under you.

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