Buying My First Chanel Bag: Covid-19 Edition

April 1, 2021

So I finally got the bag of my dreams and I’m so happy!! I’ve wanted a Chanel Classic Flap bag for years now and it’s been a long journey to get here. I’m graduating in 6 weeks (another eeek moment!) and I knew that this would be the best way to reward myself. I wanted to go over my experience as it is still a panorama and this wasn’t as magical as being in Paris. However, it was still something so great!

The Classic Flap Bag by Chanel

First things first, the bag itself. I’ve been in love with the Classic Flap style. I think it’s literally so classic and chic, you can wear it with anything and look great. The Classic Flap comes in 2 different types of leather: caviar and lambskin. The lambskin is so beautiful and soft, however, I think that the caviar is more durable to scratches and everyday wear. As you may know, each season there are different combinations of color and leather you can get. There was this gorgeous Chanel-19/20 ivory/off-white bag that was to die for and now selling on the second-hand market at crazy prices. Needless to say, certain combos are prized and so is the one I got: a medium, caviar leather with gold hardware black classic flap. Let me tell you, this bag was essentially sold out nation-wide when I went searching in January.

The Hunt

Since this bag was essentially sold out, I just figured it wasn’t meant to be. I decided to finally reach out to an Chanel SA at Neimans that was recommended to me by my cousin. I reached out to her on a Wednesday and she hit me with the same news: nation-wide shortage, I’ll put you on the waitlist. I basically said cool, keep me updated if you hear anything. The next day, she texts me saying she just got a Jumbo in stock; exciting news but not what I wanted so I asked, did she get a medium? Answer: Yes!! Trust me, it was a random Thursday, I literally planned on not moving and it was like I had a burst of adrenaline. I told her I’d be there in 15 to get the bag and told my partner in crime Leila to come with me.

The In-Store Experience

Obviously, with COVID, masks are still a thing and waiting, social distancing is all enforced here in VA. My SA works at the Chanel counter in Neimans so once we got there, they have it closed off so you need to wait to get in. Once we were able to get in, we were able to see the bag, try it on. It looked beautiful, I didn’t even want to touch it. It was a done deal so I paid, grabbed the bag, and walked out. Very simple and easy, minus the fact that my card got blocked because they thought it was a fraudulent purchase 🙂

Pricing

As you may have seen on my insta stories, last March Chanel increased the prices of their bags. The Classic Flap went up $800 in price. This past January, there was another rumor of a price increase. As I said before, I wanted this bag for a while, but the new price already made my eyes ogle. Another price increase would have meant that I definitely would not have bought this bag until later, which could mean another couple of price increases. With that being said, I think this bag alone is the investment piece in my collection. I would definitely not resell it, but I know I at least have that option if necessary. Another thing I think is important to mention, budgeting and saving are key for any luxury brand purchases. Almost all of my bags I try to buy in cash, this one caught me a little off-guard but as I said, don’t go into debt trying to get a bag! It’s honestly not worth it.

You will probably be seeing this all over insta, but I’m thinking about doing a dedicated blog to my favorite designer bags to get and why. If you’re interested, please comment so I can start working on it!