CHANEL 2.55 ICONIC MODEL
The code 2.55 indicates a date: February 1955.
A decidedly concise and essential name, as was customary for Coco Chanel in all things.
But the inspiring idea behind the concept of this bag was born much earlier, even in the 1930s.
The 2.55 was born on the principle of a functional, beautiful, and above all comfortable bag that would leave hands free – a bag dedicated to an active, free, independent woman.
An idea for a bag in line with the fashion philosophy with which Coco Chanel founded an empire.
Let's not forget that we are talking about the woman who eliminated the constriction of the corset, and was the first to propose a garment like the suit: elegant, yet understated and above all comfortable clothing, tailored for a free and independent woman.
And the solution to this dilemma was simpler than one could imagine: all it took was a shoulder strap.
Thus, in February 1955, the first Chanel 2.55 appeared. The initial models were in jersey, then in soft lambskin.
The surface is made of turned leather with diamond quilting.
The shoulder strap is a chain, inspired by the key rings of the caretakers at the orphanage where Mademoiselle Chanel grew up.
Memories of the orphanage are even reflected in the interior of the bag, which is burgundy, like the uniforms of the children at the orphanage.
Inside, there is a small zip-closed pocket, while on the back there is a pocket designed for coins.
The clasp is also simple, rectangular, and metal.
An essential yet highly elegant model.
A model that, not surprisingly, has remained almost intact to this day. Of course, in the 1980s, Monsieur Karl Lagerfeld arrived to subtly modernize its forms.
It was he who added the two legendary interlocking Cs to the clasp and the leather strip woven into the chain of the shoulder strap: and voilà, the Chanel Classic Flap.
In 2005, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 2.55, Karl Lagerfeld reissued the 2.55 identical to the original one designed by Coco Chanel in 1955, naming it the 2.55 Reissue.
The Classic comes in four sizes:
Mini size, dimensions 23.5 x 14.5 x 6.5 cm,
Medium size, dimensions 25.5 x 16 x 7.5 cm,
Large size, dimensions 30 x 20 x 10 cm
Maxi size, dimensions 34 x 23 x 10 cm.
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