PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANEL
Few handbags carry themselves with more discipline than Chanel’s Classic 11.12 handbag. For decades, it has remained precisely, almost severely, itself. The rectangular profile with an interlaced chain and double-C turn-lock is the bag equivalent of a little black dress. Now, under artistic director Matthieu Blazy, the Classic 11.12 is getting a jolt of new energy.
Before diving into the new styles, it’s worth understanding what earns a bag the 11.12 name. Several visual signatures have stayed constant since its introduction. In particular, the interlocking double-C clasp, interlaced strap, ‘smile’ pocket on the back and double-flap construction. Assembling one takes more than 180 individual steps in the Chanel ateliers, including the retourné technique, a finishing gesture that turns the entire bag inside out.
But since the maison makes more than one flap bag with a chain and CC on it, it’s easy to confuse them. Just know that the 2.55, Gabrielle Chanel’s original 1955 design, closes with a rectangular Mademoiselle lock instead. The Boy Chanel opts for a chunkier push-lock and a boxier silhouette, while the Chanel 19 drops structure in favour of a softer, tonal stitch. Only the Classic 11.12 combines the double-C clasp, interlaced chain and ‘smile’ pocket, all in a specific size measuring 25.5 cm wide and 15.5 cm high.
From the #CHANELMetiersdArt collection, exciting new styles have joined the family. One version arrives in ecru wool crêpe, embroidered with raffia and tiny glass beads to resemble a flower bed. Pushing the detail further, the entire bag is piped in a thick, red-and-white candy-striped rope where you’d normally expect a clean leather edge.
Another newcomer features embroidered denim, with an oversized beaded botanical motif climbing across the flap. The combination of gold thread, crystal strass and glass beads showcase the Chanel ateliers’ craft. Rounding things out, a black-and-white tweed iteration arrives in a bold, smudgy houndstooth. It’s proof that even Chanel’s most familiar fabric can surprise when the check gets blown up to this scale.
None of these new additions is subtle, yet all remain unmistakably the Classic 11.12. The same clasp, flap and proportions stay firmly in place, just dressed for a different occasion. It is, ultimately, the quiet confidence of Chanel’s Classic 11.12 that makes these bolder gestures land.
