My Vintage Chanel Bag
Filed in: Fashion, Handbags, Secondhand, Shopping
Today I decided to stop by a thrift store I usually visit a couple of times a week. When I enter the store the first thing I see is a quilted handbag. It´s underneath a pile of other bags, and if I was to follow my new inner voice that says “Don´t buy anything unnecessary” I wouldn´t have picked it up as I already have several bags like it. I ignore the voice and pick it up anyway. Then I notice the Chanel logo. “Great” I think to myself and immediately assume I have come across a fake. When I look inside the bag I realize that it´s most likely authentic. The reason for that is number one that it´s all leather, the lining and everything. So, OK, it can still be a good fake. But number two; the bag is old. Very old. You can tell because the lining is worn so much that it´s starting to fall apart. On the outside it looks just fine, but on the inside you can tell that this bag has been worn and loved for decades. It also has a number but I´m not sure if it is an authenticity number.
I hug it close to me and plan to look around the rest of the store. I´m too stressed however and it´s almost like I fear that if I don´t buy the bag right away and get out of there someone will steal it from me. So I go to the counter. The bag has no price tag and I ask what they want for it. The girl studies it for a while before she calls another girl. I´m preparing for it to be expensive, but I keep calm to not give anything away. “I think it´s $7″ the girl says. The girl behind the counter looks at me and repeats “It´s $7.” I try not to smile and pay for it without showing any signs of emotions, cause to myself I know that their normal price for leather bags is $11. $7 is what they charge for bags in faux leather. This is a Chanel leather bag. On the way home I can´t stop smiling. And here my new bag is. It will need a few touch-ups, but in my mind it´s already perfect:
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44 Comments
November 3rd, 2006 at 3:17 pm
Ooooooh! That’s like, every thrifty shopper’s dream score. So happy for you!
November 3rd, 2006 at 4:22 pm
u are the luckiest lady! ahah i was just talking to my “vintage queen” friend a few days ago and telling her, “if u come across vintage chanels, remember to save it for me” haha and now…for $7…DAMN!
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:03 pm
HOLY SMOKES!!! That’s incredible…a real dream come true. VERY jealous.
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:07 pm
oh my! what an INCREDIBLE find!
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:53 pm
What a nice feeling to get a bargain
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:54 pm
oh my… er det mulig?! Heldig du er altsÃ¥! NÃ¥ mÃ¥ du feire i helga med en øl. :D Skjønner følelsen din forresten, jeg hadde nok vært litt skjelven pÃ¥ hÃ¥nda under betalinga gitt. Og jeg tror ikke jeg hadde klart Ã¥ la være Ã¥ smile..Jeg er sÃ¥ dÃ¥rlig pÃ¥ sÃ¥nt.. ;-) God helg pÃ¥ deg!
November 3rd, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Awesome find!
November 3rd, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Ã…h…er det mulig Ã¥ være sÃ¥ heldig??! Veska var utrolig flott. Litt misunnelig, ja..
November 3rd, 2006 at 6:58 pm
nice, I love finding thrift store designer bags. I have a beautiful kate spade bag that I got for 5 dollars. I wanted to jump for joy in there.
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:06 pm
Wow! You lucky duck! That’s my vintage-find dream!! :)
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Wow! Incredible find :)
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:19 pm
This is your lucky day!That’s really a nice find!Lucky lucky lucky!:)
November 3rd, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Score! I’ve come across tons of fakes at the thrift store. You’re so lucky!
November 3rd, 2006 at 10:50 pm
Shit så b ra! Heldig du eeeer!
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Jeg syns da $11 var billig og eg:) Grattis
November 4th, 2006 at 12:21 am
Hilde, god helg til deg også!
Ingvild, hehe, jeg hadde ikke protestert på den prisen heller! :)
November 4th, 2006 at 2:24 am
Wow!! That is an amazing find!!
November 4th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Oi! Hvilken butikk er dette?
November 4th, 2006 at 11:51 am
Glamourbibliotekaren, det er Den Røde TrÃ¥d som ligger i Møllergata (inn mot tunellen). De er stengt pÃ¥ lørdager hvis du skulle finne pÃ¥ Ã¥ gÃ¥ dit i dag da, og jeg tror de Ã¥pner etter 12 pÃ¥ hverdager…
November 4th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
congratulations!!!!really, a bargain like this happens once in a billion times—7 dollars!you’re the luckiest thrift shopper ever!:)
November 4th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
Takk! Har så lite oversikt over bruktbutikkene i byen for tiden.. Når jeg endelig finner dem, er de stengt :-)
November 4th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Hello! I found your blog last night and I like it too much. Here in Russia I was looking for such style tips and didn’t find anything like this.
Thank you so much! I bookmarked it.
November 4th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
iM sOo haPpy fOr U.. u mUst bE v v v haPPy..
cOngRats oN a gEm fiNd!
November 4th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Thanks Natalia G, I´m happy to have you as a reader! :)
November 4th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Now that’s just NOT fair…
November 4th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
gorrrrgeous. and I\’m not even a fan of the quilted look.
November 5th, 2006 at 1:00 am
I always keep a look out.
I hope one day, the same thing will happen to me.
Siiiigh, lucky lucky girl.
November 5th, 2006 at 11:01 am
I hope all you guys find one too!
November 5th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
I have one exactly like that, I would sell ot to you it you would like. It is navy blue and exactly like the one pictured above. I got it from a little old lady who was having a rummage sale. I have had it over 5 years and I have only worn it once. If you would like to see some pics of it let me know;)
November 5th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
I´m sending you a mail Bakhitah. :)
November 6th, 2006 at 2:22 am
I thought that kind of stuff only happened in fairy tales . . . amazing find!
November 6th, 2006 at 9:53 am
Wow! How lucky. Thrift stores in california spend too much time on eBay, because they KNOW how much things are worth and charge accordingly. Great find Agathe!
November 7th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
I just found a vintage Chanel bag that also has a number and is 100% leather, but I’m still skeptical, how does your number look?
November 7th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
Fake bags are rarely made out of 100% leather so it´s a big chance it´s authentic, but then some fakes are of great quality (and expensive) and it may be impossible to tell the difference. My number is on a golden “plate” inside the bag, but it may not have anything to do with it at all cause it doesn´t really say anything. I´ve never studied a real Chanel either, and since mine is so old they may have changed the standards.
I´ll enjoy my bag whether it´s fake or not, an I´ll always think of it as the real thing. :) Congrats on your bag!
November 13th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
[…] Filed in: Fashion, Shopping, Secondhand, Handbags Now that I´ve reached my ultimate vintage shopping goal, the Chanel bag, I´ve been thinking about what my next goal should be. I think what I would really like is a vintage Dior monogram clutch. I might even put some money into it since I´ve already been so lucky once. I see that there are several of them on eBay at all times. I was even close to getting one for $30 once, but lost it to someone that bid $31 while I was sleeping. I hate it when that happens. I guess there are a lot of fakes out there as with everything else, but I would be happy with something in good quality, like this one. […]
November 14th, 2006 at 8:02 am
I\’m going to CRY!!! I just missed out on a one in a life time opportunity @ the Thrift shop !!! I saw a vintage Chanel Clutch the other day. And, because i\’m not use to buying vintage, I thought it\’d be there in a couple of days. WRONG!! It was gone when i went today. I was so sad! and I can\’t find the picture online to try to find it somewhere else.. … You\’re so LUCKY!!!
November 29th, 2006 at 6:44 am
Little late for this comment, but I had to add, last Saturday night I went to the thrift store because my friend bailed out on me after planning something for two weeks, but I think I was getting some karmic sympathy or something because I found a vintage canvas and leather coach handbag that looked almost new for $4, and I found one exactly like it on ebay for $250!!! I also found a vintage YSL black and white houndstooth jacket for $6 I plan on selling. I love the thrift store!
November 29th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Macy, that´s too bad. :( Hope you have better luck another time.
Erin, those are amazing buys! I´ts rare that I find designer stuff, and you got this at once!
December 9th, 2006 at 6:29 am
i found two chanel bags at a thrift store in indonesia as well, one is a black chain bag (a bit more squared than yours) which i think might be authentic because its all leather and has gold plates, but it doesnt have a number like yours..
the other one is this musk colored quilted bag, the thing about this one is that the logo is different… its squared and has the sillouette of coco chanel, and until now i can’t find any info whether chanel had a logo like that or not in the old days. if you can give me any info that would be great :)
February 21st, 2007 at 6:04 pm
It just shows what you can find in thrift stores if you have a good look around.
Great find for $7!
May 4th, 2007 at 5:52 am
Hi
i found a vintage chanel and want to know if its authentic?
where was the number was it on the button or a sticker in the bag?
also how do you know its truely authentic? did you get authorized?
Thank you
June 4th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Hi! I can’t see the pic of your bag anymore. but your story sounds amazing so I’d really love to see your precious chanel! I recently bought a chanel vintage bag myself, off ebay. looks pretty worn too, and the leather and condition is still fantastic. however, there’s no label or sticker inside the bag, so i can’t be sure 100%….maybe i can send u a pic of my bag (it’s deep red) and get you opinion or comment? Thank you!!
June 25th, 2007 at 2:49 am
i bought a white chanel with fringe on zipper it has the two cc on front and says chanel inside but the name inside pulls off like its has sticky stuff on it and i don’t see any numbers,this bag is made of real soft matrial and inside is soft to touch super nice bag.is it a fake heres the picture thanks.Connie in Ohio.i paid 25.00 for it and the lady said she paid 300.00???
February 5th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Hi- I bought a Vintage Chanel bag from a consignment store.
I tried to sell it on Ebay and they pulled it off and said it was not authentic.
It is Lambskin Dark navy leather, chain strap and has a brass Chanel “made in Paris” logo on the inside.
Can I send you pictures and can you tell ne if it is authentic?
I am very mad at Ebay for saying it is fake without even viewing or weeing the bag.
Thank you, I can send you pictues if you like.
Leslie