Chanel Handbags

Chanel Handbags

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel is responsible for some of the most sought after luxury fashions of the past century. Her designs were light-years ahead of her time and are still relevant today.

Chanel handbags are highly counterfeited, and if you are not buying through an authorized retailer (which is risky at best) it pays to know how to spot a fake. Something to always consider is the quilting on a bag, which can be diamond or square. Either way, the quilting will be nicely aligned with the edges of the bag; many times diamonds will be cut in half by the bottom seam, which will run from corner to corner of the diamond. Keep in mind perfectly aligned quilting is not always possible due to the shapes of certain bags. The sides of the diamonds/squares should always be equal in length, and of course the stitching should be impeccable. To see what authentic Chanel handbags look like click here. This link has great photos of fake and authentic Chanel bags as well great info on serial numbers, bag composition, interior tags and labels among other things.

When purchasing a Chanel purse one should always look at the hardware. Exterior zipper pulls will have Chanel engraved on one side and the CC logo on the other. Zippers can be marked YKK or EP. Hardware will always match- for instance, a silver zipper pull to a silver chain etc.

In the CC logo (engraved, raised or stitched) the top of the right C will always overlap the top of the left C. Also, make sure the C's are evenly spaced and not to fat or thin. In some CC logos the top of the left C is engraved. Another thing to look at regarding hardware is the screws on the closure- they should be flathead screws.

Interior markings will differ depending on the style and year. One may find Chanel embossed straight into the interior of the bag, or onto a rectangular leather tag (these tags differ as well) with either embossing or stitching. The tags will also say "Made In France", Made In Italy" or have an encircled CC logo.

All authentic handbags made in the last several years will have a small white tag with a serial number and two encircled CC logos on it. This link has pages of info on bags, hardware and detailed serial numbers explanations.

Older handbags will have white dust bags, while more recent (mid-90s and on) and current items will have black or silver dust bags.

One last tip: New and current bags can be near impossible to find online. Keeping this in mind, one should be suspicious of any non-authorized retailer selling Chanel handbags. For a Coco Chanel biography click here.

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