Amanda Brooks: Chanel Chain Gang

For pretty much my entire adult life, I have wanted a Chanel 2.55 bag—you know, the superclassic one with the quilted leather and metal chain? (The number refers to the bag’s launch date: February, 1955.) It’s the one designer bag that just never, ever goes out of style. And it goes with almost any dress. I’ve admired the 2.55 on Margherita Missoni, wearing youthful bohemian clothes; Chloe Sevigny in almost minimal black; and a 1960s Jean Shrimpton in laid-back yet still supermodelish day clothes. I can even bear the logo since Chanel, if not the first, was among the first to put her initials on a bag, and that makes it seem authentic to me.
Last week, I was on a tour to promote my book, I Love Your Style (Harper Paperbacks; 19.99dollars), and when I arrived at my hotel in L.A. there was a huge shopping bag sitting on my bed—a welcome present from Chanel, who was hosting a book signing for me later that night. I practically tore the bag open. Inside—you guessed it!—was a 2.55 bag. Go on, you can hate me. But I spent a lot of years focusing my sartorial desires on one day being a proud 2.55 owner, so I feel entitled to shout it from the rooftops. My bag is a new size—called the Maxi. It’s a slightly bigger version of the original, and, in addition to the usual things, I can also fit a magazine and hardcover novel in it. It’s also the loveliest and richest shade of dark teal you can imagine. I had a split-second thought that maybe I should swap it for the black, but then decided the teal would be a welcome addition of color to my current taste for neutrals.
Another thing I love about the 2.55 bag is how much it has inspired other fabulous bag designs. Marc Jacobs did his own take on the Chanel handbag, a few seasons back, and even much more affordable brands have had their share of the fun as well. My research assistant, Chelsea, showed up at work one day with a 1970s “Chanel-inspired” tote from Fluke, her favorite Williamsburg vintage store. And Urban Outfitters and Topshop always have something Chanel-inspired in their vast handbag collections. The one thing that doesn’t impress me at all is the Canal Street knockoff. Besides the legal and moral issues, they just don’t knock it off well enough—or badly enough—to make it funny or cheeky or chic. Sometimes they say, “You gotta fake it to make it.” But in this case I say fake the look, not the logo.