Mademoiselle Chanel
Mademoiselle Chanel once famously said “fashion is made to be unfashionable”. Chanel understood that once a trend becomes heavily saturated in the market it becomes undesirable and that over time, styles will naturally become part of fashion history. Clearly, when throwaway fashion evolved hand in hand with mass production in the last half of the 20th century, Chanel was way ahead of her time. So how then, does the Chanel brand, so iconic, so emulated and successful for nearly a century continue to go from strength to strength even in such uncertain economic times? Of course she was known for being an innovator, freeing women of corsets in the early 20th century, introducing jersey and ‘sportswear’ to the upper classes (“luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not a luxury”), introducing beautiful but practical fashions and giving us timeless and irreplaceable classics such as the tweed suit, the strands of pearls, the 2.55 classic flap bag and of course Chanel No. 5. These items have and will stand the test of time. But Chanel always knew that charging an elitist price and restricting supply would reflect the quality and exclusivity of her brand. Quality was one thing which Chanel was obsessed with and even now every Chanel bag is assembled to impossibly high standards proving that imitations are a false economy that don’t last. From the famed caviar leather to the lambskin, Chanel bags are made from the best quality of raw materials. The production of the bags, including the famous quilted texture is shrouded in secrecy but you can be reassured that your bag didn’t originate from a sweat shop but that each bag is individually crafted by a team of extremely skilled craftsmen and that each style is made in limited amounts each season. A classic 2.55 is now priced in excess of £2000 and the prices will continue to go up, making them ever more out of reach for the average consumer, but all the more desirable. There is no denying the real deal is expensive but you get what you pay for and in the case of a Chanel bag, you will get the ultimate and the chicest ‘bag for life’. Chanel knew that fashion would become unfashionable but exquisite quality, desirability and a classic design will always last and you only get that with an original Chanel. Vintage Chanel bags can be found here.