15 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE 2.55
“Stella, Stella, look, mommy has a new bag!” My daughter ran excitedly towards our nanny with my quilted bag. “Uh, Bel, come on, uh, just leave that bag for now,” I stammered. Slightly embarrassed to be gushing over a bag that, let’s not beat around the bush, costs two average monthly salaries. “But MOM,” my girl (she's four, you know, four) continued, “it’s from SJA-NÉL!”
This month, Chanel is celebrating. The 2.55 has been part of our lives for fifty years this month, and that calls for a toast because this bag has great historical and cultural value. And it still opens all doors for you. Want to know why it’s so special? Do you have a minute?
Coco Chanel invented this bag with a handle so she could keep her hands free for a cigarette and a glass.
The famous chain of the handle is inspired by the straps on which nuns hung their keys. Little Coco (who was still called Gabriëlle back then) spent her childhood in an orphanage run by nuns. This is also a fact that my daughter has well absorbed. I once spoke to a friend about an adopted girl who had been in an orphanage in China when my girl chimed in. “Coco Chanel was also in an orphanage. And that while her father was still alive. That’s really sad, you know.”
In the 2.55, there is a secret compartment where Coco kept her love letters.
The inside of the bag is red. Some say it’s inspired by her school uniform, others say red is a nice color to find your lipstick in your bag.
The quilted pattern was inspired by Coco's love for horses. She loved horses and was one of the first women to sit astride on a horse.
Each 2.55 takes 18 hours to make.
Between six to fifteen people work on the bag.
There are 180 steps to complete the final product.
If you want to be sure if the bag is real, there must be a carte d’authenticité in the bag with a number that corresponds to the number inside the bag.
Queen Maxima is a 2.55 wearer, just like Simone Dernee, Jetteke van Lexmond and Miley Cyrus.
Fans from the very beginning included Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlene Dietrich.
The difference between the quilted (which I have) and the 2.55 mainly lies in the lock. The one on the 2.55 is a bit more understated, making the bag more of an it-statement in the fashion world. It doesn’t scream ‘Chanel‘, which is of course super chic is.
A nice detail is that the C’s on the lock overlap in a certain way. The right C lies over the left C.
The 2.55 is the most iconic bag in fashion land. No one thinks it’s ugly, you’re always good with it, from hip to classic. It can always be worn.
The 2.55 gets 15% more expensive every year and it retains its value (that is if you take good care of it) so I would say: save and buy, it’s a better investment than earning interest at the bank and you’ll have a lot more fun with it.
