The bag purchase reviews that I've written on this blog have been the ones featuring bags that I absolutely loved and have decided to personally invest in. The last bag that I wrote about was my Loewe Puzzle Bag in the color 'stone blue'. Since then, I haven't been quite active in growing my bag collection as I felt like it was pretty complete already. In recent years, more independent and young bag brands have also caught my attention, so I have been exploring that. I really love Cult Gaia, Staud, Danse Lente and Yuzefi. Seeing these new brands' take on handbags in terms of shapes, designs, and even color-ways have somewhat inspired me to compare them to bags of the pasts.
As I've mentioned in my last style posts featuring this Chanel Camellia Velvet bag, this is my first attempt at trying out the practice of investing in a pre-owned bag. For full transparency, I actually borrowed this bag for a short period of time from Rebag, as opposed to committing to actually purchasing it, to get a sense of how it would feel like. Rebag has a program where you can actually purchase one for 6 months to get you started, so definitely take advantage of this if you are like me, and are hesitant about this.
Knowing that I'm receiving a pre-owned bag, I was already prepared to see small imperfections, such as scratches and fades of metal finishes. Even so, when I actually opened up the package and saw it, I barely noticed any of those marks. This just goes to know that my worries about receiving something slightly flawed weren't stronger than my impression of how one-of-a-kind this bag was.
Now on to some of my thoughts on the bag itself. When it comes to my personal standards for what deems a bag worthy in my collection, the two things that I really focus on is uniqueness and practicality.
Upon sharing this bag via social, many people responded that this was not a typical Chanel, which of course, I couldn't agree more. However, if one really knows the history of Gabrielle Chanel, then they would also know that the camellia is actually one of her favorite flowers (making this bag, kind of truly Chanel?). Secondly, the bag is a flap bag style with three sectionals inside making it quite organized and roomy for the everyday essentials. Personally, I'm not a big fan of an accordion style bags as I'm someone that prefers to have one open compartment - but if this is your style, then you'll find that it's quite roomy as the compartments do expand quite a bit. Another thing to note about this bag that it can be pretty high maintenance since I did notice that the velvet is pretty prone to dents and dust.
Lastly, you might be wondering how such a bold bag works for my wardrobe. But let me tell you- although this bag is pre-owned and let go by someone else, it somehow felt like a piece that I owned myself. Don't let my monochromatic and grungy looks on certain days fool you- I'm a sucker for a good statement bag (and I actually already have another velvet bag in my collection). This Chanel easily dresses up any casual black dress, and even dark boyfriend jeans with a white tee shirt; it doesn't get simpler and more universal than that! The burgundy is such a classic color. If you need an outfit example, you can see this post here.
With everything said, the bag is now back with the Rebag team and will be up for grabs soon. Highly recommend this precious bag for anyone who's looking into vintage or pre-own bags.
As I've mentioned in my last style posts featuring this Chanel Camellia Velvet bag, this is my first attempt at trying out the practice of investing in a pre-owned bag. For full transparency, I actually borrowed this bag for a short period of time from Rebag, as opposed to committing to actually purchasing it, to get a sense of how it would feel like. Rebag has a program where you can actually purchase one for 6 months to get you started, so definitely take advantage of this if you are like me, and are hesitant about this.
Knowing that I'm receiving a pre-owned bag, I was already prepared to see small imperfections, such as scratches and fades of metal finishes. Even so, when I actually opened up the package and saw it, I barely noticed any of those marks. This just goes to know that my worries about receiving something slightly flawed weren't stronger than my impression of how one-of-a-kind this bag was.
Now on to some of my thoughts on the bag itself. When it comes to my personal standards for what deems a bag worthy in my collection, the two things that I really focus on is uniqueness and practicality.
Upon sharing this bag via social, many people responded that this was not a typical Chanel, which of course, I couldn't agree more. However, if one really knows the history of Gabrielle Chanel, then they would also know that the camellia is actually one of her favorite flowers (making this bag, kind of truly Chanel?). Secondly, the bag is a flap bag style with three sectionals inside making it quite organized and roomy for the everyday essentials. Personally, I'm not a big fan of an accordion style bags as I'm someone that prefers to have one open compartment - but if this is your style, then you'll find that it's quite roomy as the compartments do expand quite a bit. Another thing to note about this bag that it can be pretty high maintenance since I did notice that the velvet is pretty prone to dents and dust.
Lastly, you might be wondering how such a bold bag works for my wardrobe. But let me tell you- although this bag is pre-owned and let go by someone else, it somehow felt like a piece that I owned myself. Don't let my monochromatic and grungy looks on certain days fool you- I'm a sucker for a good statement bag (and I actually already have another velvet bag in my collection). This Chanel easily dresses up any casual black dress, and even dark boyfriend jeans with a white tee shirt; it doesn't get simpler and more universal than that! The burgundy is such a classic color. If you need an outfit example, you can see this post here.
With everything said, the bag is now back with the Rebag team and will be up for grabs soon. Highly recommend this precious bag for anyone who's looking into vintage or pre-own bags.
