Chanel Cream Calfskin Chateau Versailles Old Medium Boy Bag Gold Hardware, 2013
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Design:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2812222266892
Chanel
In the years following the opening of her modest millinery shop, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel became a pivotal designer of both fashionable casual wear and Paris haute couture as well as an icon and arbiter of 20th-century style with her bob haircut and pearls. Today vintage Chanel handbags, jackets and evening dresses are among the most sought-after clothing and accessories for fashion lovers all over the world.
The first Chanel shop was established in 1910 in Paris on rue Cambon by the young milliner Gabrielle Chanel (1883–1971), who had picked up the nickname “Coco” while working as a club singer. The boutique drew the attention of the Parisian fashion elite who popularized her wide-brimmed Chanel Modes hats. Soon she added a sportswear store in the Normandy resort town of Deauville, where Coco set the tone for her defining sense of style — traditionally masculine garments reimagined for feminine shapes, made from simple jersey fabric.
Effortless and elegant, Chanel's designs promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by complicated layers of fabric and cumbersome corsets. She followed this success with a couture house, opened in 1915 in Biarritz.
But Chanel was not born into a life of glamour. Following the death of her mother, her father left her in an orphanage where she lived until the age of 18. It was there that she learned to sew as well as appreciate the classic pairing of black and white as worn by the nuns.
In 1926, Chanel introduced her first little black dress, reclaiming a color that had once been reserved for mourning and working-class women. That same decade, she debuted her perfume, Chanel No. 5, as well as the Chanel suit with a fitted skirt, inspired by the boxy lines of men’s clothing and employing a sporty tweed.
Chanel closed her fashion operations during World War II, then returned to the industry in 1954 to design for the functional needs of modern women.
Structure and wearability endured in all of Chanel’s clothing and accessories, like the quilted leather 2.55 handbag — a 1955 update of a 1920s-era design — with its gold-chain shoulder strap that freed up a woman’s hands. The 1957 two-tone slingback pumps had a practical heel height while offering a bold statement in the black tip of the shoes. Her collarless jacket reacted against the constricting styles of Christian Dior's New Look, replacing them with a design that was timeless, an instant classic.
After Coco Chanel died in 1971, the brand underwent several changes in leadership, including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who took over as artistic director in 1983. His collections for Chanel displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. Lagerfeld revived Chanel ballet flats and thoroughly embraced the classic logo's interlocking CCs, which took the form of a clasp featured on so many of the rare Chanel bags that are much sought after today.
Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel dresses, coats and other clothing of the 1980s, '90s and 2000s riffed on its iconography, accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. And as the 1990s have become associated with styles adopted by today’s supermodels and influencers, vintage Chanel bags of the 1990s are among the most prized of the brand’s offerings.
Over the years, the company has continued to innovate, such as expanding into ready-to-wear fashion in 1978 and, in 2002, establishing a subsidiary company — Paraffection — dedicated to preserving the heritage skills of fashion artisan workshops. The House of Chanel still operates its flagship on rue Cambon in Paris, where it all began.
Browse vintage Chanel bags, evening dresses, shoes, jewelry and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Chanel Fuchsia Pink Shiny Alligator rectangular mini flap Bag GHWBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYA rare find in hot pink/fuchsia with shiny gold hardware and special metal plaque label inside. The iconic holy grail bag is the Chanel Classic Flap. Coveted for its simplicity and e...Category
2010s French Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Chanel Lego hot pink patent brick patent flap bagBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel pink patent leather lego brick flap Year: 2014 Silver hardware One centered credit card slot Pink nylon lining Classic back pocket Strap Drop 24” Crossbody 5” H x 9” W x 2.5” ...Category
2010s Italian Clutches
- Chanel Alligator Medium Emerald Double Flap Bag with Gold HardwareBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYCrafted in France from exotic alligator leather in a highly sought after shade of emerald green, this iconic flap bag by Chanel is finished with the classic CC turn-lock in gold-tone...Category
2010s French Tote Bags
- Chanel Medium Double Flap bag in shiny red alligator with gold hardwareBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYA SHINY RED ALLIGATOR MEDIUM CLASSIC DOUBLE FLAP WITH GOLD HARDWARE. Comes with dust bag, certificate of authenticity and the box. Bag is in great condition. No CITES. Series 20xxxx...Category
2010s French Shoulder Bags
- Chanel blue alligator 2.55 Reissue 226 Double Flap Rutherium HardwareLocated in New York, NYChanel Blue Shiny Alligator 2.55 Reissue 226 Double Flap Ruthenium Hardware, 2012 year. The interior is lined in a tonal lambskin leather Includes dust bag, and box. Bag is in good c...Category
2010s Shoulder Bags
- Hermes Kelly 28 Cactus Sellier Bag with GHW in Epsom leatherBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYHermes Kelly 28 Cactus Sellier Bag with GHW. Epsom leather. Y stamp. Vintage piece in great condition. Minor wear on the corners and minor scratches on hardware. Comes with dust bag...Category
2010s French Tote Bags
- LORO PIANA raspberry pink cashmere PUFFY KNIT POUCH Clutch BagBy Loro PianaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Loro Piana Puffy Pouch in Fantasy Regalia Red (raspberry red) speckled cashmere knit with cable stitches, and trimmed with artisanal wood beading. For easy access to y...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Chanel Pink Lambskin Leather Quilted Rectangular Mini Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Pink Lambskin Quilted Rectangular Mini Flap Bag Made In: Italy Year of Production: 2014 Color: Pink Hardware: Silvertone Materials: Lambskin leather Lining: Smooth leather Cl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Hermes Blue Colvert Clemence Evelyne III 29 PM Messenger Bag W/ GHWBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYHermes Blue Colvert Clemence Evelyne III 29 PM Messenger Bag W/ GHW Made In: France Year of Production: 2019 Color: Colvert blue Hardware: Goldton...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Chanel Black Lambskin Leather Quilted Large 19 Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Black Lambskin Leather Quilted Large 19 Bag Made In: France Year of Production: 2020 Color: Black Hardware: Antiqued goldtone, ruthenium, and dark silver Materials: Leather, ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags
- Chanel 2020 Blue/White/Black Nylon Maxi Scarf Chanel 19 Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Blue/White/Black Nylon Maxi Scarf Chanel 19 Flap Bag Made In: Italy Year of Production: 2020 Color: Blue, white, black, pink Hardware: Goldtone, silvertone, ruthenium Materi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
- Black cross-body bag with black leather patchwork appliqué ChanelBy ChanelLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack cross-body bag with black leather patchwork appliqué. 2 compartments with zip ( 1 small 1 large). 1 pocket zippé inside and 2 pocket without zip. Authenticity card provide. Len...Category
Early 2000s French Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
From the Runway to Rihanna, These Chanel Pearl Sunglasses Are the Peak of ’90s Chic
This cheeky accessory is seriously fun.
With a Wink, Karl Lagerfeld Sent This Egg-Carton-Shaped Chanel Bag Down the Runway
For the brand’s 2014–15 ready-to-wear show in Paris, the designer was inspired by a most unexpected place: the supermarket.