You'll learn the distinctive hallmarks of true Chanel quality , from serial stickers to leather and stitch count. Be ready to dive into the essential authenticity checks that will help you determine if your Chanel is an original.
Her designs were truly revolutionary, both for fashion and for women to express their independence. Chanel’s 2.55 finally allowed women of all social statures to wear their bags comfortably over their shoulders.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel designed her first quilted jersey flap bag in 1929. The original quilted jersey bag had a rectangular twisting lock and short, all-chain straps. Her bag was carried in hand or on the arm, like most bags available to upper-class women during the era.
All variants of The Flap Bag featured gold, black or silver metallic chain straps and when resources grew scarce, leather straps were intertwined and/or used as a stylish alternative.
In the Chanel bag authentication process, the date code plays a crucial part. It serves as the bag's unique identifier , allowing you to determine the year of production.
While many high fashion designers seek form over function when designing a woman’s bag, Coco Chanel was a realist. Even the name of the bag is practical; the 2.55 debuted in February of 1955 — the second month of ’55. The iconic features of the bag — the quilted wool fabric, chainlink strap, and burgundy interior — all serve practical functions as well as aesthetic ones.
Yes, that’s right, no CC logo on the original Chanel bag! Contrary to popular belief, Chanel didn’t use her CC logo on her handbag. It was used sporadically throughout the years, but the interlocking CC logo wasn’t a mainstay until the 1980s (more on that later).
Owing to their superior quality and ageless designs, most Chanel bags are in high demand. Their iconic status only adds to their desirability. This has led to a surge of fake Chanel bags in the market.
Beyond contributing to the visual appeal, the meticulous stitching on a real Chanel bag also signifies its authenticity.
Interior Lining: The burgundy/garnet leather in the original 2.55 was the color of the uniform that Chanel had to wear at the Aubazine orphanage where she was raised.
Its striking design features spearheaded an excess of twisted chain bags — with high street to designer brands producing their version of the chained underarm accessory.
Exterior Pocket: Coco had a love for the Mona Lisa and made the back pocket reminiscent of her subtle smile, which is said to be for loose change for tipping.
Eight digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being history of the Chanel flap bag removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker.
It used to be as simple as asking, “does the bag come with an authenticity card?” However, really good fakes, or “super fakes”, come with their own fake but very convincing authenticity cards.