With a history dating back to the 1920s, the Chanel flap bag is iconic. Worn by princesses, actors, and women all over the world, the Chanel flap has never gone out of style. Its style is timeless, its silhouette is instantly recognisable, and its popularity is enduring.
History of the Chanel Flap Bag
Coco Chanel first conceived the idea of a handbag with an over-the-shoulder strap in the 1920s. The story goes that she became tired of holding her handbag in her hands and decided to design an alternative. Apparently inspired by soldiers' packs, she used a long strap to hold the bag over the wearer's shoulder. This was a game-changer for handbag design at the time as it allowed women to go "hands-free".
Despite creating this revolutionary design in the twenties, Chanel didn't debut her flap bag until February 1955. It is from this date that the first model for the Chanel double flap gets its name - the 2.55.
In 1982, Karl Lagerfeld joined Chanel as creative director and ushered in many changes to the Parisian fashion house. Notably, he spearheaded a redesign of the classic flap bag, creating the iconic interlocking CC twist lock. Since then, Chanel has continued to innovate new handbag designs constantly keeping the wearer's needs in mind, whilst providing that signature Chanel flare in design.
Chanel Bags at Auction
Through the years we've had a fantastic selection of Chanel flap bags. Some of our favourites are:
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