Chanel Rings

Today Vlad and I had a business lunch at Fred’s which is on the top floor of Barneys NY (their chicken soup is absolutely amazing, New York Mag was right in voting it the best in the City).Anyhow, we wandered down to the bottom floor to chanel outlet check out Le Labo, a store that specializes in freshly handmade fragrances composed by some of the world’s best perfumers. I opted to buy a candle and decided my Chanel Classic Flap needed a photo op while our candle was getting customized. With the online launch of Chanel Spring 2011 comes the advent of Chanel Outstanding Pieces Spring 2011, which is the special moniker that the French brand uses for the most intricate, luxurious and expensive designs from each of its product categories. Encompassing everything from rare exotic leathers to hand embroidery, these bags are the creme de la creme from one of the finest leather goods companies in the world.Would you like a Chanel Classic Flap completely covered in glittering crystals? It can be yours. What about a baby pink crocodile Mademoiselle bag? That too. Chanel doesn’t publicly release prices for thes pieces, Chanel Rings but the old trope probably applies: If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. I know I can’t, but looking? Looking is free.
Since Chanel showed its diverse, covetable selection of Spring 2011 handbags in Paris back in October, I’ve been waiting patiently (ok, not-so-patiently) for detailed shots of the designs to hit the web. Now that they have, I feel confident saying that along with Pre-Spring 2011, Chanel Spring 2011 is some of the strongest work from the brand’s accessories team in recent memory. There’s a little something for everyone here, from the staunch Chanel traditionalist to the young woman who wants to mix neon and tweed.I’m particularly excited to see that the fantastic leather-bound book clutch has made its way to retail, as well as some of the utterly feminine scarf-woven bags. What I loved but didn’t expect to see was a slim black and white clutch detailing the ceiling of Paris’ Grand Palais, Chanel Necklaces where Chanel presents its collections every season. Not only is it beautiful and neutral enough to actually be used, but I could see it quickly becoming a collector’s item among Chanel devotees.
There weren’t many handbags to be found on the catwalk at Chanel Fall 2011, which struck me as something of a surprise. Chanel fully acknowledges the place of leather goods in its company history, and normally part of its enthusiasm for accessories spills over onto the runway in the form of lots of goodies for handbag lovers. This time, though, there was relatively little to see.What we did see in the goth dystopia that Lagerfeld created in Paris’ Grand Palais was quite good. Most of the bags were of the chain-strapped flap variety, but Lagerfeld got rid of the brand’s iconic quilting and leather-woven handles to give a starker take on a Chanel classic. Little quilted hand-held bags were spotted here and there, but mostly the models walked with chanel bags outlet their hands empty, perhaps in a nod to the bleak-chic setting of the show. Although I’m disappointed to not have seen more bags, now I’m even more excited for press previews. Chanel wins again.