Handbag thumbnail 1
Handbag thumbnail 2
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Not on display

Handbag

ca. 1965 (made)
Artist/Maker
Chanel (designer)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

Quilted black leather handbag with a gold chain handle.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read What makes CHANEL so iconic? During her 60-year career, fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel (1883 – 1971) took a consistent and considered approach to her aesthetic.

Object details

Categories
Fashion
Accessories
Womenswear
Leather
Bags
Object type
Handbag
Materials and techniques
Quilted leather with gilt
Brief description
Quilted leather handbag, designed by Chanel, Paris, ca. 1965
Physical description
Quilted black leather handbag with a gold chain handle.
Gallery label
(12/2020)
Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel first designed the ‘2.55’ bag in February 1955, hence its name which represents the second month and year. It quickly became a highly recognisable classic featuring its distinctive quilted leather, rectangular lock and chain shoulder strap. It remained unchanged until the 1980s, when Karl Lagerfeld reinterpreted the bag by adding the CC logo to the clasp.

V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out.
Credit line
Given by Mrs Vera French
Bibliographic reference
Bags V&A Exhibition (Project) Bags: Inside Out (2020) Lucia Savi, V&A Publishing, pg 95
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.37-1983

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Record createdMay 19, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O233686/handbag-chanel/
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