CHANEL Purple Lizard Mini Belt Bag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 3.55 in (9 cm)Width: 1.38 in (3.5 cm)Length: 5.91 in (15 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:This vintage CHANEL bag is in lizard leather.
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:
Chanel
In the years following the opening of her modest millinery shop, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel became a pivotal designer of both fashionable casual wear and Paris haute couture as well as an icon and arbiter of 20th-century style with her bob haircut and pearls. Today vintage Chanel handbags, jackets and evening dresses are among the most sought-after clothing and accessories for fashion lovers all over the world.
The first Chanel shop was established in 1910 in Paris on rue Cambon by the young milliner Gabrielle Chanel (1883–1971), who had picked up the nickname “Coco” while working as a club singer. The boutique drew the attention of the Parisian fashion elite who popularized her wide-brimmed Chanel Modes hats. Soon she added a sportswear store in the Normandy resort town of Deauville, where Coco set the tone for her defining sense of style — traditionally masculine garments reimagined for feminine shapes, made from simple jersey fabric.
Effortless and elegant, Chanel's designs promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by complicated layers of fabric and cumbersome corsets. She followed this success with a couture house, opened in 1915 in Biarritz.
But Chanel was not born into a life of glamour. Following the death of her mother, her father left her in an orphanage where she lived until the age of 18. It was there that she learned to sew as well as appreciate the classic pairing of black and white as worn by the nuns.
In 1926, Chanel introduced her first little black dress, reclaiming a color that had once been reserved for mourning and working-class women. That same decade, she debuted her perfume, Chanel No. 5, as well as the Chanel suit with a fitted skirt, inspired by the boxy lines of men’s clothing and employing a sporty tweed.
Chanel closed her fashion operations during World War II, then returned to the industry in 1954 to design for the functional needs of modern women.
Structure and wearability endured in all of Chanel’s clothing and accessories, like the quilted leather 2.55 handbag — a 1955 update of a 1920s-era design — with its gold-chain shoulder strap that freed up a woman’s hands. The 1957 two-tone slingback pumps had a practical heel height while offering a bold statement in the black tip of the shoes. Her collarless jacket reacted against the constricting styles of Christian Dior's New Look, replacing them with a design that was timeless, an instant classic.
After Coco Chanel died in 1971, the brand underwent several changes in leadership, including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who took over as artistic director in 1983. His collections for Chanel displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. Lagerfeld revived Chanel ballet flats and thoroughly embraced the classic logo's interlocking CCs, which took the form of a clasp featured on so many of the rare Chanel bags that are much sought after today.
Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel dresses, coats and other clothing of the 1980s, '90s and 2000s riffed on its iconography, accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. And as the 1990s have become associated with styles adopted by today’s supermodels and influencers, vintage Chanel bags of the 1990s are among the most prized of the brand’s offerings.
Over the years, the company has continued to innovate, such as expanding into ready-to-wear fashion in 1978 and, in 2002, establishing a subsidiary company — Paraffection — dedicated to preserving the heritage skills of fashion artisan workshops. The House of Chanel still operates its flagship on rue Cambon in Paris, where it all began.
Browse vintage Chanel bags, evening dresses, shoes, jewelry and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Paris, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Hermes Kelly Doll Quelle Idole Black AlligatorBy HermèsLocated in Paris, FRDesigned by Jean-Louis Dumas in 2000, reedited very rarely in very small quantities. Incredible mini kelly doll in alligator leather ! Crocodile leather is...Category
2010s French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin 40 Brown Togo leatherBy HermèsLocated in Paris, FRBirkin 40 Brown in very good condition. The bag has already been used so there are slight wear marks on the corners of the bag and micro scratches on the har...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin 35 Togo BlackBy HermèsLocated in Paris, FRHermes Birkin 35 Togo Black in very good condition. Zipper, clochette, keys (2) and padlock included. The corners are slightly used and there ar...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- CHANEL Bowling Bag in Iridescent Beige Lambskin LeatherBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRCHANEL Bowling bag in iridescent beige leather. 'Bowling' bag in golden beige grained leather from Maison Chanel. Golden jewelry. Zip closure. The i...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Birkin 35 Box Leather CognacBy HermèsLocated in Paris, FRVintage Birkin 35 Cognac. Zipper, clochette, keys (2) and padlock included. The corners of the bag are slightly used. Condition : good Made in France Material : box leather...Category
1990s Top Handle Bags
- Hermes Hac 40 crocodile graphiteBy HermèsLocated in Paris, FRHERMES HAC 40 travel bag Condition: very good condition Country of manufacture: France Model : Haut à courroies Size: 40 Gender: unisex Material: matt Porosus ...Category
2010s French Duffel Bags and Carry-On Bags
- Louis Vuitton Capucines GM Top Handle Bag Black LeatherBy Louis VuittonLocated in Torre Del Greco, ITLouis Vuitton signed bag, Capucines model, size GM, made of black grained leather with beige inserts and silver hardware. Equipped with a central flap, internally lined in smooth bla...Category
2010s Top Handle Bags
- Rialto Large Needlepoint Handbag 1960sBy RialtoLocated in Water Mill, NYA gorgeous large needlepoint handbag in a green, yellow and red abstract pattern on a black background. It has a shapely black Lucite frame, doubl...Category
1960s Italian Top Handle Bags
- TYLER ELLIS Poppy Handbag Small in Black Ostrich Feathers with Gunmetal HardwareBy Tyler EllisLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Poppy handbag small is featured in black ostrich feathers with gunmetal detail. This soft handbag is designed with a Lucite handle and our custom half-metal frame topped with our...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Top Handle Bags
- Chanel Lambskin Evening HandbagBy ChanelLocated in Scottsdale, AZWhen choosing your next bag, the answer is always vintage Chanel. This bag has all the classic hints of Chanel but different than anything you have seen before. Details include a kno...Category
Early 2000s French Top Handle Bags
- Antique Handbag Chinese Embroidery Gold Metallic Dragon Black Silk Bag PurseLocated in Portland, ORThis fine silk late 19th Century antique Chinese bag came from an estate I handled that had an incredible collection of Asian textiles. Many of the pieces w...Category
19th Century Chinese Top Handle Bags
- French Sequin Black Linen BagLocated in New York, NYChic Sequin French Bag on black linen base. Elegant and timeless detailing with even seed bead borders on the interiors and edges of strap. Moire taffeta lining. 1950's France. Exce...Category
1950s French Top Handle Bags
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
From the Runway to Rihanna, These Chanel Pearl Sunglasses Are the Peak of ’90s Chic
This cheeky accessory is seriously fun.
With a Wink, Karl Lagerfeld Sent This Egg-Carton-Shaped Chanel Bag Down the Runway
For the brand’s 2014–15 ready-to-wear show in Paris, the designer was inspired by a most unexpected place: the supermarket.