Chanel Bags Spring 2011

One of the more interesting bag shapes to emerge at Tuesday’s Chanel show was the classic 2.55 quilted bag minus the iconic leather/metal chain strap; in its place was an extra piece of quilted leather that rolled up, as pictured here, like the top of a brown paper sandwich bag. Inventive, no? Karl Lagerfeld is the master of reinventing the wheel. Aside from that touch of inventiveness, the rest of the bags presented at the show were pretty standard fare for Chanel. Yes, the prints and colors were changed to go with the spring season’s theme, but overall they were pretty predictable. One of the clutches–suede with leather sides and gold-embossed shell–was cute as it resembled a chic Chanel book. Overall, the bags emphasized the notion of handheld; the idea that, even with a strap, a woman should still be able to grasp it quickly in her palm.