The Collectible Chanel Edit

The Chanel novelty bags worth collecting are the ones that turn an everyday object into a bag. Under Karl Lagerfeld the house made a milk carton, a lunch box, a hula hoop and a perfume bottle, and each came and went within a season or two.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Chanel Red Vinyl Whipstitch Half Flap Jumbo, the Chanel Blue Quilted Lambskin Hula Hoop Bag Mini and the Chanel Black Quilted Lambskin Chocolate Bar Tote.

 

The vinyl Whipstitch flap and the Chocolate Bar totes sit close by in spirit. If you want a wider tour of one-offs, The One-of-a-Kind Edit is the companion.

Vanity cases and minaudières are Chanel at its most jewel-like. The box vanities, the lunch box vanity and the acrylic minaudières are small, structured bags that read like objects first and accessories second.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Chanel Gold Crystal Lipstick Case On Chain, the Chanel White Patent Leather Minaudiere and the Chanel Black Quilted Nylon Tortoiseshell Box Bag.

 

I would wear a vanity cross-body over a plain coat, where the shape can stand out. For more evening-ready pieces, see The Art of the Evening Bag.

Chanel made far more shapes than the flap: Deauville bowlers, Westminster pearl bags, wild stitch top handles and East-West styles. Each one reflects a different season of ideas under Lagerfeld.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Chanel Pink Quilted Caviar Deauville Bowler, the Chanel Beige Caviar Deauville Bowler and the Chanel Beige Quilted Caviar Bowler Medium.

 

Choose the silhouette that fits how you actually carry a bag, then look closely at the quilting and the hardware. These are often easier to wear than they look. For more on seasonal Chanel, see The Pieces That Got Away.

Tweed is Chanel's oldest fabric story, and the suits, dresses and bags here come from different seasons. Some are dated to the nineties in their listings, and the pieces range from a three-piece skirt set to a brocade dress set.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Chanel Yellow Wool Blend Three-Piece Skirt Set, the Chanel Mulitcolored Embellished Tweed Rectangular Flap Mini and the Chanel Black & White Tweed Zip-Up Skirt Suit Set.

 

A tweed skirt suit with plain sneakers is how I would wear it now. For more from the decade, see The Nineties Called.

Begin with the shape you would carry on an ordinary day. A vanity or a Deauville bowler is much easier to wear than it looks, and it gets noticed without trying.

 

Then add a tweed piece, and let the two work together. That is how most Chanel collections I admire seem to start, with one unexpected bag and one reliable jacket, built up over time.