Chanel Handbags - Page 2
From here, Chanel began to design other fashions, using the jersey, a fabric that was unheard of at the time in women’s clothing. Her next steps were to create her famous Chanel #5 perfume and popularize stylish trousers for women. She introduced her first handbag in 1955, which became a fashion icon unto itself.
Samuel Goldwyn commissioned Chanel to design costumes for a few of his major Hollywood productions, and she became the patron for many renowned artists, including Picasso. She remained an assertive business woman, in charge of her own affairs, a maverick and non-conformist all her life. Chanel died in 1971, at the age of 86 - still at the forefront of the fashion industry.
Along Came “2.55”
“2.55" was the first Coco Chanel handbag. It earned its name from the month and year of its debut, February 1955. It was a simple quilted bag, adorned with elegant chains. The quilting reflected her other clothing lines and was another unique idea in fashion. Her use of quilting was inspired by the vests worn by the stable boys at the horse races.
This first Chanel handbag was available only in the designer's favorite colors - beige, black, brown, and navy – and made of either jersey or leather.
