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This means that at the time you are logged in, we have not yet found any luxury pre-owned or second-hand vintage Chanel bags that match our selection criteria.
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For Sure Vintage has carefully selected models of vintage, second-hand or pre-owned Chanel bags of the highest quality, all distinguished by their rarity : shape, size, color, leather type. You can find online, emblematic bags from the 1990s, such as the classic Timeless double-flap bag and the Diana bag.
Vintage or pre-loved Chanel bags are highly sought-after, as they are rare luxury goods that increase in value every year.
Customers' enthusiasm is due to :
- the materials used by the French luxury brand decades ago, and the use of 24-carat fine gold- plated on solid metal (gilded brass). This 24-carat gold-plating has not been used by Chanel since the early 2000s (either for leather bags hardware or costume jewelry, otherwise known as couture jewelry) ;
- the damage caused by fast fashion, which is also affecting the major luxury brands. Our customers' aim is to give meaning to their purchases, while wearing pieces of unrivaled quality compared to those currently produced by the top luxury brands.
Legendary creations
Gabrielle Chanel was the creator of the shoulder bag, designed to free up women's hands and give them a carefree yet elegant look. Gabrielle Chanel believed that bags carried in the hand were constricting, and that women should be able to put their hands in their pockets and have more freedom of movement, just like men.
Menswear was a great source of inspiration for Coco Chanel ; bags carried by the military gave her the idea of creating a shoulder bag for women.
In 1955, the designer introduced the 2.55 model. Its name came from the date this very first shoulder bag was launched (2 as in the month of February, and 55 as in the year 1955). The bag was designed to be an item made to last, but it was the famous shoulder strap that took the world by storm ; made from a gold chain, it was feminine and luxurious in itself. The iconic Chanel bag enjoyed a new lease of life under Karl Lagerfeld, appointed artistic director in 1983.
During the 1980s, Lagerfeld reinvented the 2.55 and updated it by replacing the rectangular "Mademoiselle" clasp with the famous double C logo turn-lock clasp. He also changed the appearance of the shoulder strap ; whilst still made from a 24-carat gold-plated chain, it now also featured a leather strip in the same color as the bag.
This new classic was named the Timeless bag. It came in various different sizes to appeal to as many people as possible, and still enjoys worldwide success.
Characteristics of pre-owned vintage Chanel bags
Classic Chanel bags, to which the 2.55 and the Chanel Timeless Bag created by Karl Lagerfeld in 1983 belong, all have the following features in common :
- quilting
- the shoulder strap : a golden chain that is braided (with or without a leather lace)
- burgundy-red leather lining (for most models)
- one pocket (at least) with zipper inside
- meticulous interior finishing
- the Chanel brand in gold lettering (fine hot-stamped gold)
- 24-carat gold-plated metal chain and clasp
Pre-loved vintage Chanel bag materials
- jersey and lambskin leather, part of the house's DNA
- grained calfskin (known as "caviar leather")
- satin
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