Chanel chat thread

[AprillaCourt]

As some of us really enjoyed talking about Chanel on my white bag thread I thought I'd start a Chanel chat thread here 🙂

I'm a lover of all things Chanel - the history of the brand, the life of Gabrielle Chanel herself, & of course the products. It would be great to have like minded others to share our knowledge & wares with 🙂

@highfidelity
@Snowite
@schmalex

I'm nametagging you as (I think) you said you'd like a chat thread/were very much involved in my white bag thread!

If anyone hasn't seen it, Justine Picardie's book on the life & work of Gabrielle Chanel is fantastic. This is a good link to learn a little bit more: www.chanel.com/gb/fashion/news/2011/03/la-vie-de-mademoiselle-une-biographie-par-justine-picardie.html

All welcome 🙂

I've just had a lovely chat with an older lady at the train station, she was wearing a Chanel-style jacket & three rows of opera length faux pearls. I'm in a similar jacket & my Mikimotos, so we bonded over a shared style 🙂

Oh Mikimotos @AprillaCourt, how lovely (I'm so envious it hurts )

I usually wear my grandmother's "proper" pearls but after an operation which meant I couldn't manage the clasp, DH bought me a necklace with a magnetic clasp, It was lovely, but a cheap temporary replacement, the sort of necklace where all the pearls fall off if the thread breaks ) Annoyingly, more people complimented me on that necklace than the proper one

I would love to wear long looped multi row pearls, but they just don't suit me. I'm very fussy about where things sit on my collarbone.

Would I be unreasonable to ask for a photo of the mikimotos (absolutely understand if not) as I love them so much!

I'll try & get photo when there's some good light @OhJustFuckOffAlready 👍🏻

I have modern Miki studs & a 17" graduated strand, and a 32" opera length strand that I don't wear as often as I should. I also have a vintage silver Miki brooch. I have lots of other pearls too - a strand of quality multicolour Tahitians, some golden south sea, vintage cream pearls & a double strand that I had made up in Hatton Garden to fit in an antique tiered pearl box I picked up from a historic jeweller. I adore pearls.

@AprillaCourt - how are you getting on with your bag? Was it the mini or a small you bought?
I may be popping to Chanel this weekend to take a look! But it’d be good to know how an actual owner is getting on with theirs.

This all sounds so dreamy. An incredibly envious, but also delighted by your collection.

I love pearls, particularly Tahitians. My had some black pearls (inherited from my mother) but heavens knows where they disappeared to, along with her triple strand of freshwater pearls strung with little pieces of gold.

My friend's mother had the most amazing and huge pearls, almost the size of marbles. She had one strand in a cream white, and the other grey. His mother was wearing the pearls. Almost twenty years have elapsed since I last saw them, and they still take my breath away. They're probably the jewellery I've coveted most in my life. Many years later, I was at my friend's father's memorial service.

Have actually got my eye on a pair of Tiffany pearl and white gold studs. And, to bring this back to Chanel, one of my most treasured and frivolous Chanel items is a pearl hair bobble.

Oh wow! 😍 quite a collection there!
Definitely let us know how you are getting on with your new bag.

I was in Dubai last week and was really pleased to be able to get what I wanted - although I was swayed by a mini camellia flap; the only colour they had didn't suit me ( peachy nudey) so I went with my original choice of a black classic wallet on a chain (silver) a classic white zipped purse and a 19 card holder in a pewter/dark grey. Also popped to Louis Vuitton as well. Have pics if you want to see! I'm delighted!

A wife of my dh colleague was wearing the most lovely Chanel earrings when I last saw her - diamond C with a teardrop pearl. Beautiful!

Of course we want pics! They all sound lovely.

Yes please @PieMashLiquor - share the pics!

@MummyJ12 @bunnybunnybunnybunny @VooVooV Thanks for asking 🙂

Well, there’s a bit of a story 😀

I’d had the bag for over three weeks & hadn’t gone near it. I realised I was very worried about marking it. It was goatskin so pretty soft. I’m not a naturally messy person & I do look after my bags but I was still anxious to actually wear it out for a day. I’m also Autistic (long standing secure diagnosis) & I could feel myself becoming a bit obsessional about it. It had pretty much become an expensive undisplayed ornament.

I have a policy that if I haven’t either used something or fallen in love with it to the point where I know I’ll use it in time then I return it. So I decided to do just that.

Meanwhile… 😀

I’ve been after a navy 2.55 for years, but I wanted a true navy, & that’s not a colour that Chanel have done much of in recent years. I also wanted it with antique gold hardware. And not a contrasting lining. So not much to ask really 😀

I popped into all the Chanel stockists in London & asked - as I regularly do - if they had anything that fit the bill. They just had their current French navy/marine in the Classic which is too close to electric blue for me (those on my original white bag thread might remember me talking about my acute colour sensitivity.) Plus I don't get on with the Classic strap. But in one of the stores they quietly whipped me into the office & brought out exactly what I’d described. Apparently they sourced it for a very good client who knew exactly which bag she wanted, it took them months to get it & then she didn’t come to collect it. So they released it to me. I returned the white, upped the budget & went for the navy. First time I've ever returned anything to Chanel but the process was easy & they couldn't have been more helpful.

I wear more navy than black, & I’m much better with aged calfskin than anything else. I’ll get tons more use out of this bag than I ever would have the white. I’m not someone who generally believes in fate but it did seem that the planets were aligned in this instance!

However I still want a white bag in caviar which I think might be the more resilient option for me 😀

I bought the Mini 2.55 in white chevron goatskin. Returned now, obviously 😀 But size-wise it was excellent, about the same amount of room as the small Classic, for half the price.

Let us know if you bought!

Ok so sorry I've been a while I locked myself out, had a family bbq drama etc etc but I'm here now! @AprillaCourt my white purse and bag are entirely down to you - I am quite conservative normally with bags but I saw yours and it's like the floodgates have opened 😂

Ok here are the pics

Yes I know Louis Vuitton is marmite but I do have a soft spot!

I did buy yes!
I fell in love with this beauty - small boy 😍
@PieMashLiquor - wow, gorgeous. What a fab haul!
@AprillaCourt - thanks god the update. Sounds like you’ve made the right decision.
QQ pls - did you get an authentication card. I’ve just unpacked my bag, and I haven’t got one. (Wondering if it will be sent digitally when they update the info in the email tomorrow?)

• thanks for the update

Also, those who have purchased recently - did you get a dust bag?

Fabulous purchases @VooVooV and @PieMashLiquor

@AprillaCourt I was wondering how you were getting on with your white bag. Sounds like you made a wise choice by retiring it. Did you return the purse too?

Do we get to see a sneak preview of your navy beauty?

Hi @Lykia 👋🏻

Yes I returned them both together as they were a pair really. No sign of a navy purse as yet, I didn't expect there to be as the bag is a bit of a unicorn. But I'll keep looking out.

I'll upload a photo of it when I get chance, along with photos of my pearls as others have asked for those too 🙂

Hi @VooVooV 👋🏻

The new bags don't have an id card, the number is laser etched on the inside of the bag & comes through digitally via email (assuming you did the holding your phone camera over the QR code thing when in the boutique?!)

I got a dustbag with mine but it was the wrong one! They mistakenly gave me a black drawstring bag, I popped back the next day & picked up a white iconic fold over bag which should come with a double flap bag.

Beautiful Boy @VooVooV 🙂🖤

Yes I got dust bags

Thanks @AprillaCourt and @PieMashLiquor
I’ll email them tomorrow re the dust bag
Thanks for the info re the digital ID card too

@AprillaCourt just read your update...good decision and lucky turn of events! Here's a little navy boucle jacket to go with it 😁