Here we are again. The beginning of a new year which we all hope will be better than the last. Although to be fair, 2021 was already better than 2020 for me personally - started with a positive Covid test (luckily it didn't affect us much) and ended with buying a Chanel bag 😅; not to mention I got to travel twice, as opposed to once in the previous year. I really can't complain!
So as you can tell by the title of this post, and by popular demand from the answers in my Instagram poll, I will be sharing my experience in buying my first Chanel bag. Now you should know that I have dreamed of owning a Chanel bag ever since I was like 13 years old, and even though I couldn't afford one at the time, that didn't stop me from dreaming that one day I will have my very own Chanel bag. That day my dears, was to be the 28th of December 2021, and I still can't believe I finally did it!
Chanel as a brand (and designer) doesn't need any introduction and if you follow the world of luxury designer goods, you might know that Chanel is considered to be a halo brand, in the sense that their items tend to increase or hold their value. Some people also argue that buying a classic Chanel bag is a very good investment as it is guaranteed that the value of it will increase. However, brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Dior for example, tend to increase their prices (or adjust, as they like to refer to it) often. In fact, during the pandemic, Chanel alone has had 3 or 4 price increases, and to be honest, it was driving me mad and I kept putting off buying a Chanel bag for that particular reason. But in my heart of hearts, I knew that I still wanted one but I still wasn't ready to pay over €7K for a Chanel bag so I waited it out until the perfect bag at the 'perfect' price point comes along.
So last August, while we were in Rome, I went into the Chanel store at Piazza di Spagna to buy a brooch and I remember seeing a bag (can't remember the model but I'm pretty sure it was not one of the classics) in a gorgeous shade of green but I knew I'd feel guilty if I bought it as well as I still needed to go to Hermès to buy a pair of Oran sandals. You might laugh at this, but when I say that bag still haunts me, believe me, it does and if I could, I would honestly kick myself for passing it up because it was reasonably priced. After this episode, I decided that 2021 was going to be THE year I finally pull the trigger on a Chanel bag. That is if we were going to travel again as we still don't have any big luxury brand stores here in Malta.
Luckily, along with my family, we planned to visit Vienna for Christmas; thus, fast forward to December and I finally bought my very first Chanel Rectangular Mini from the Cruise 2021/22 Collection. So without further ado, let's get into the details of that fateful day 😄. The Chanel Vienna store is situated in a very beautiful area of the city of course, where all the big designers are. We had to wait outside for about 20 minutes as the number of people inside the shop was being limited because of the current situation of course. When we were allowed inside, we were greeted by a very lovely sales associate who made my experience truly memorable right from the start (I even got the tour of the boutique). I didn't have a specific model in mind as the Chanel website is not that user friendly and they do not upload all the bag models there so I just asked for a bag in mini or small size (what suits me), not black (already have the YSL and Dior Wallets On Chain) and not pink (already have the Lady Dior) and, with gold hardware.
She pulled out this beige and black Rectangular Mini right away and some other Classic Flap models too but as soon as I saw this bag I knew it was what I wanted 😍. Like I said, I didn't even know it existed as on the website they only have the black and white models and the fabric ones. I took my time to examine and try on the bag and I further confirmed that it was meant to be when I looked inside and saw Made in France under the Chanel logo! I honestly don't think I could have done better for my first time! Just to paint the whole picture, Chanel bags are either made in France or Italy. Although this by no means affects the quality of the final product, in my eyes, having a Chanel bag that says Made in France is the best combination simply because France is the brand's home country. I felt like I was going to cry! I just cannot believe that I finally managed to buy a Chanel bag all by myself!
I love the colour combination and given how hard to come by caramel and beige tones are at Chanel, that was a score on its own. The leather is lambskin as Rectangular Minis don't come in caviar (textured) leather anymore and the hardware is champagne gold. On the inside, there is one big compartment, one small pocket at the back, and a zip compartment. On the outside, at the back, there is a Monalisa pocket like the bigger sized classics and the opening is a single flap with the familiar interlocking CC twist-lock. The chain is in signature Chanel style with lambskin leather inter-woven with the chain links.
Typically, a Mini Flap will come with only 2 grommets for the chain as it is meant to be worn as a cross-body. However, you can cheat your way to wearing it as a shoulder bag by tying the chain on the inside as shown in the photo (use a white ribbon to avoid colour transfer), or you can also use a chain adjuster clip but I wouldn't recommend this for lambskin leather as it can mark it. The total chain drop is 58.4cm.
Lastly, the price; the leather Rectangular Square Minis are still reasonably priced at €3800 as they are seasonal pieces. They are not cheap, far from it but they will most likely keep increasing in price so if you're thinking of buying one, don't wait until tomorrow. Remember Chanel increases prices on their popular items quite frequently.
Thank you so much if you have made it this far, let me know your thoughts about this bag and Chanel in general in the comments. f you're not done yet and want more tips on buying designer bags, check out this other post - https://laraspintofstyle.blogspot.com/2020/03/tips-on-buying-your-first-luxury-handbag.html.
