Manufactured by the fashion House of Chanel, the Chanel 2:55 is a leather luxury purse hand bag. The bag was developed when Coco Chanel decided to free her hands and create a hand bag that hung on a strap the way the bags of soldiers did. This happened in the nineteen twenties. She added thinner straps and the resulting design was introduced to the market in the year 1929. In nineteen fifty-four, after a comeback to the industry of fashion that was quite a success, the Chanel handbag got an update. The result was a creation named after the date it was created, which was 2.55.
Features of the Chanel 2.55
There is a list of features that characterize the Chanel 2.55 bag. The inside compartment has a zipper on the front flap inside. This is where love letters were hidden by Coco Chanel. There are also other features including the lining color and the chain that are based on the life experiences of Coco Chanel.
The Quilt
On the exterior of the bag, there is a herringbone or quilted diamond pattern. This gives the bag volume and shape, with the use of the running stitch. It is believed that the pattern was inspired from various sources including by the cushions of the apartment of Chanel in Paris, by the Aubazine abbey’s stained glass windows and by riding coats by jockeys.
The Mademoiselle Lock
Originally the bag came with the Mademoiselle Lock on the front lock. This is in reference to the fact that Coco Chanel did not get married. There are versions in the shape of a double logo CC that were available since the eighties. The term for this version is the ‘Classic Flap.’
The Double Chain
A double chain shoulder strap was designed while Coco Chanel. This was due to the fact that Chanel recognized that women of modern times needed their hands free when they attended functions socially. A leather threaded chain inserted into eyelets attached the chains. At the convent where Coco Chanel grew up, the keys dangled from her waist with the same kinds of chains as the shoulder strap of the 2:55.
Variations
Since this bag was introduced, the original version went through many different variations including different combinations of fabrics and leather, interwoven straps of leather, metal and the lock which varied from being interlocking CC or the mademoiselle. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the original creation, Chanel released an exact copy of the 2.55 original. Of course, the Reissue 2.55 name is supposed to be used only for the handbags that commemorated the event, it is currently used commonly as the name for every handbag that resembles the 2.55 original.
Money Storage
The back of the Chanel Bag 2.55 has an external flap for money storage. Inside the flap in front there is a compartment with a zipper. The rumor is that this is where Chanel stored her love letters in the very first bag. The burgundy color of the lining represents the convent uniform color she wore while growing up.