This week in shoes, spring 2010 shoes

I’m having a vintage moment lately. Last weekend, I spent 3 hours on Friday afternoon looking for vintage art deco costume jewelry on eBay. I really want a 70s faux fur jacket. The Stephen Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton won me over long ago. And then this morning, I was lucky enough to find the utterly charming Chanel Vintage Le Train Bag.

When there are so many bags that are weathered and treated to look old when they’re actually brand new, it’s refreshing to look at a beautiful bag that is actually a piece of fashion history. The train illustration on this coated-canvas tote is so adorable and utterly Parisian that it serves as a wonderful reminder of not only the brand’s inventiveness, but also its cultural significance.

I like this bag better than most anything I’ve seen from Lagerfeld & Co. lately, and I wish that more of the irreverent French influence found its way into bags like this today. I don’t know that I’d be willing to pay the asking price for this piece (particularly since it’s not leather), but if I had the extra money laying around, this would absolutely be at the top of my list. Buy through ShopBop for $2420.

ShopBop continues to bring us a small, eclectic group of vintage handbags. What are we digging the most? The Chanel bags. Chanel vintage handbags show us that the brand is not only timeless but also that their designs continue to be relevant. The newest addition to the vintage collection at ShopBop is a Chanel Vinyl Bag which features signature chain straps with a clear vinyl body and interlocking black letter Cs at the front and back.

The reason this bag doesn’t do much for me is because I have never loved vinyl bags. If I wanted to own a vinyl bag, this could be it. I can picture pairing this bag with large oversized sunglasses and a casual outfit of jeans and a tee. In my mind it looks good. The other thing about a clear bag is to make sure whatever is showing through is not entirely awful. I would opt for oversized colorful pouches to be the innards which will show through with a little pop of color. Dimensions are 12.5″H x 16.5″L x 4.5″D. Buy through ShopBop for $2,860.

My family spends Christmas Eve with family friends who throw an amazing party every year. It is now a staple of our holidays and an event that we look forward to. This year Shannon and I put down our bags for a moment and Vlad took the opportunity to capture a shot.

My bag, a 2004 navy blue and white Chanel bag is a little treat I love to bring out. Small, light-weight, feminine, and still very Chanel. Shannon added a bit of glitz to her outfit carrying a gift from Katherine Kwei herself, a Donna Clutch in metallic water snake.

Before we go any further, does Chanel’s website make anyone else sort of dizzy and motion sick, or am I just way too sensitive to that sort of thing? Websites where brands make their bags run frantically from side to side make my head spin, and that website structure makes me find something else to look at almost immediately.

In this case, however, I persevered in order to find the Chanel Rubber Effect Python Signature Tote. Was my nausea worth it? I think it was, but then again, I do have an unnatural affinity for everything black.

There’s just something so thoroughly Chanel about an exotic black bag. They use the color to greater effect than probably any other major designer, and the python gives the bag a thoroughly luxurious appeal that the brand’s customers expect.

I haven’t seen the bag in person, so I can’t comment with full knowledge about the rubberized finish, but the matte effect is a welcome change from the python that I normally see, which is almost always glossy. Flat black has an edgy, modern quality to it that the brand’s bags have lacked over the past season or two (at least in my estimation), and the finish might have done a bit to make the delicate scales more durable as well. Now that is killing two birds with one stone. More information available via Chanel.com, price available upon request.

First, I’d like to say that I’m so incredibly happy that Chanel Haute Couture chose to do something more interesting for their show this season than they did for their show last season. Although, if you find silver and white boring, this may be another loser for you.

It was a winner for me, however. For the first time in his lengthy career, Karl Lagerfeld created a collection that completely eschewed black and navy – in fact, it eschewed color of any sort, save for a few traditional Chanel suits with a culotte twist (I just dry heaved a little bit there), which were rendered in various pastels. The collection was beautifully draped, beaded and rendered in the most unforgiving color palette you can imagine for the construction of clothing, but it all worked exactly as it should have. Of course it did; it’s couture.

Lagerfeld has said that the collection came to him in a 5 a.m. dream-like flash, and he referred to it as “neon rococo.” It wasn’t exactly neon, but it did have a great deal of glitzy intricacy, which more or less fulfills the “rococo” part of that proclamation. While the beading motifs may have reflected an old-world sensibility and craftsmanship, some of the elements – foiled stripes on a white dress, the high-gloss silver booties that every model wore, Baptiste Giabiconi’s metallic suit as he escorted the traditional end-of-collection couture bride – were at least a bit reminiscent of the most fashionable sci-fi movie you’ve never seen. If the people that made those movies dressed their actors in Chanel couture, I might reconsider my hatred of the genre.

Photos via Fashionologie.com

Well, we have seen it all. I have never quite understood the allure of a design house venturing into the foray of athletic equipment or other random accessories, but at least it gives us a talking point. We have seen a $17,000 Chanel Bicycle and a Chanel Segway and now we have Chanel temporary tattoos. Only they have decided to name it ‘temporary skin art’, as if that changes it all and makes the price tag seem less-ridiculous.

At least I can say that you are given fifty-five temporary tattoos, which were originally hand-drawn by Peter Philips who is the Global Creative Director of Chanel Makeup. Some of the “art” includes Oriental cherry blossoms, birds, bracelets, earrings, and the classic Chanel logo. The tattoos are limited edition. Call me crazy, but there is some inner voice attempting to tell me that this would be a great idea for dress up. But then reality sinks in, these are temporary tattoos, which can be found in many children’s cereal boxes and sticks of gum. Um, thanks Chanel?! Buy through Chanel for $75.

Some people dream for years of owning a Chanel Classic Flap Bag or Chanel Reissue 2.55 Flap Bag, some already own multiples of each, and still others think that they’re too traditional and played-out. I couldn’t agree less with that third group of people – with lots of finishes, colors and sizes, Chanel’s famous flaps have a little something that everyone can appreciate, if you stay open-minded. Still on the fence? Allow me to persuade you…

1. They’re just going to go up in price later: Seriously, are you considering buying one? If you are, go ahead and do it. Chanel is among the masters of the crippling price increase, jacking up the MSRPs of its bags every six months to a year, sometimes by as much as $500 for a basic bag. As a general rule, bags don’t hold their value all that well, but constantly rising prices keep the timeless flap bags fairly easy to resell later. Plus, even if you don’t take resale into consideration, you’re just going to have to fork over more cash if you wait.

2. Owning one is like getting in to one of the most exclusive sororities on campus: Except, you know, this is real life. Legendary actresses, socialites and royals have carried this bag, and hey, if you can’t marry a prince, you can at least buy the same bag as the broads who can. Or the same bag as the girls from The Hills – it seems as though the bag has become the go-to accessory when a younger woman wants to signal to the world that she has grown and matured into a fashionable lady.

3. So many designers have been “inspired” by the flap – if you’re going to pay big bucks, get the original: Everyone from Urban Outfitters to Marc Jacobs has been accused of stealing from Chanel’s signature bag, and there’s a good reason for that – it’s timeless, iconic and still as relevant to luxury customers today as it was back in the 1950s. Chain straps and quilted leather have become nearly synonymous with the idea of the designer handbag, and the Chanel flap may even be more well-known across the world than the illustrious handbag holy grail, the Hermes Birkin.

4. Buy a flap bag in caviar leather and it will likely outlive me and you both: Seriously, that stuff is indestructible. Run your fingers – no, better yet, run your fingernails along it next time you’re near a Chanel bag made of the material, and you’ll see what I mean. It has a finish nearly as tough as Louis Vuitton monogram canvas, but you’re paying for actual leather instead of, well, canvas. With how much those monogram bags run these days, the price of a neutral leather Chanel bag with similar durability seems downright reasonable. But…

5. Despite their cultural ubiquity, the bags themselves are still too price-prohibitive for everyone to own: They come in sizes ranging from XS to XL, but even the smallest of the Chanel flap bags is way more expensive than the average woman wants to spend. You’re in no danger of seeing your bag on every woman on the block (unless you live on a really, really nice block, but if you do, there’s probably no sense in trying to stay one step ahead anyway), and even if you see a lot of people carrying non-Chanel bags that look similar, there’s absolutely no comparison when you see and hold a Chanel flap bag in person.

Prices start around $2000. Please contact Chanel customer service at (800) 550-0005 for more information.

What is there to say about the Chanel 2.55 Reissue Alligator Flap Bag that isn’t already patently obvious, just from looking at it? I’m not sure, so feel free to ignore my words and have your own private droolfest over this thing. I wouldn’t blame you at all.

What we have here is the standard 2.55 Reissue Flap with Mademoiselle chain, rendered in perfect patina’d alligator. It’s from the Pre-Spring 2010 collection, it’s utterly gorgeous, and it’s out of my price range. That doesn’t mean I can’t look at it, however – looking is free, and I encourage all of you to do as much of it as possible. This is a bag that deserves to be seen.

Price figures for this bag are hard to come by, but conventional wisdom puts it in the $20,000-$30,000 price range (which may actually be a bit conservative.) Is it really worth that much? I guess that depends on how big of a bite that would take out of your bank account. Either way, it was surely be a lovely thing to have in the closet for those days when your outfit needs a bit of reptilian flair. For price and purchase information, contact Chanel at (800) 550-0005

Last week on Want it Wednesday, I put together an entire outfit that I wanted. This week, all I ask for is one bag, one simple bag. Is that too much to ask? What I want is Chanel and why I want it should be clear. The simplistic design is ubiquitous of Chanel. Ivory is not a color I am drawn to, for fear of showing dirt and wear, but this ivory leather bag looks so soft, smooth, and sexy, I can’t stop wanting it.

The quilted top flap is on top of the two sac plain leather body of the Chanel Sac en Cuir Doux Bag. There is the typical Chanel sophistication while still remaining fresh and fun. Don’t expect anything other than supremely soft leather, as Chanel never disappoints with their quality. Buy through Chanel for $3,150.

Economic conditions have been tough for a lot of luxury companies lately, but the brands that are weathering the recession the best seem to be the ones with the healthiest sense of history. Companies like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have both launched recent initiatives to link their storied pasts to their modern presents in the minds of customers, and it looks as though Chanel is dipping its perfectly manicured toes into similar waters.

Starting on May 8th, Chanel’s New York flagship on 57th Street will host The Secrets of the Chanel Handbag, an exhibit demonstrating the construction and history of the company’s iconic purses. Displays explaining how the bags are built and how they’ve evolved over the past half a century will be there, as well as a number of bags from the brand’s Paris archives. This may be your only opportunity to see some of these pieces in person, so if you’re in New York City, consider dropping by and having a look (and if you get pictures of anything, send them our way). The exhibit will run through May 16.