I am so excited to share the four vintage CHANEL bags that just arrived. The consignor sent them from Indiana. Her mom passed away a few years ago and owned these beautiful CHANEL handbags. The daughter is more of a LOUIS VUITTON girl and the bags needed new homes to be appreciated.
The first bag is a black CHANEL quilted crossbody. It has a roomy exterior pocket and can be easily worn crossbody or on shoulder. It has some wear but it is amazing how well the handbag has held up over the years since 1997. Here is a picture:
The second bag is a CHANEL reissue chain bag. It is a light color and definitely shows more wear. It can be worn on shoulder or crossbody as well. It is a more “quiet” bag with no CHANEL logo showing. It would be great for traveling where you would not want to be very obvious about what you are carrying. Here it is:
The third bag is the very classic CHANEL Diana flap bag from 1994 in light beige. Princess Diana wore this exact bag in black. It is so beautiful! This one has been well loved which I am not surprised. It also comes with its original Chanel booklet. I love how CHANEL explains in detail how to store your CHANEL bag. Here are pictures of the bag and instructions on how to take care of your CHANEL bag from the 1990’s:
CHANEL Booklet instructions
"How to care for your CHANEL handbag
Your handbag is signed by CHANEL, a name which is a synonym of quality and excellence worldwide.
In making the handbags bearing this signature, CHANEL harmoniously combines the most advanced technologies and the skill of traditional craftmanship.
CHANEL carefully selects leather of the finest quality. It is integrally dyed to keep it soft and natural looking (surface-dyeing hardens leather and gives a plastic-like appearance. To preserve the beauty of your handbags for as long as possible, you should take certain precautions.
-Always put it away upright, in the original felt case. Pad it with tissue paper to keep the shape. Make sure that the chains are not in contact with the outside, as the might mark the leather. The simplest things is to put them inside the handbags, in the tissue paper.
-Do not over-fill your handbags, as this might spoil the shape irreparably, and strain the chain fasteners, zips and clasps.
-The metal parts of your handbag are gilded with an alloy containing 24-carat gold, which is sometimes sensitive to sea air and the acidity of the skin, and may eventually wear off. Clasps, chains and other metal parts can be re-gilded. Ask your CHANEL boutique for an estimate.
-The tanning methods used by CHANEL keep the leather soft so that the surface remains alive and permeable. Avoid contact with water, grease, perfume and makeup.
-Do not clean with products intended for other purposes, such as polish, turpentine, oil, spot removers, spirit or solvents.
-Light-coloured handbags, particularly which and beige, are very vulnerable to dust and marks. Bad stains are practically impossible to remove.
-White handbags are extremely sensitive to light, and the leather will turn yellow if it is exposed for too long to spotlights, fluorescent lamps, etc.
-You can polish the leather gently with a natural-coloured soft woollen cloth. Do not rub with rough or abrasive materials.
-If your handbag gets wet, do not wipe it but absorb the water by patting gently with a fine woollen cloth.
-Greasy marks can be removed with unscented talcum. Sprinkle on the mark, leave overnight and brush off gently with a perfectly clean make up brush.
-Minor scratches can be rubbed off with a clean, dry finger. Press gently, with a circular movement. The finger should be free of any grease or moisture.
-Do not attempt to repair more serious damage yourself. Consult a CHANEL boutique or a good leather expert.
Natural leather is one of the few materials which improve with age, acquiring a patina which enhances its appearance. If you treat your CHANEL handbag with the care which it deserves, you can enjoy using it for many years.
Miscellaneous
CHANEL bags are mostly made of leather, however a large number of other materials are available, the most common being jersey and fabrics.
For an extended life, the same care should be take of these natural(wool, cotton, silk, etc) or synthetic(polyester, polyamide, etc) textiles as that already described for leather items.
It is also recommended that their maintenance be entrusted to a specialist.
There is a particular point relating to light-coloured vinyl and patent leather bags: avoid prolonged contact with other dark-coloured materials. Over time, a phenomenon known as "migration" can occur, in which dark pigments irreversibly colour the light vinyl or patent leather."
And last but not least is the canvas and wood CHANEL Kelly Satchel. It is in excellent condition being from the early 2000’s. It looks like the original owner used her crossbody bags much more often. I have seen this bag go up to $12,000 on other sites. Now this proves some CHANEL bags are truly an investment. I posted it on eBay and I am very curious to see how the auction will end. Here it is:
