Vegas - A Holy Grail Chanel Reveal!

I never thought I'd say this because I'm a Chanel girl through and through.   However I fear my longtime love affair with Chanel has slowly begun to wane as the prices seem to be climbing with abandon and the quality unfortunately seems to be going in the opposite direction. :(

The prices are rapidly approaching the same category of Hermes and in all honesty for the same price I'd much prefer an Hermes Birkin haha.

I decided a few months ago that I most likely would not be able to sustain my Chanel habit for very much longer and discussed with the hubs that I wanted very much to add 2 more flaps to complete my Chanel collection.  Specifically I wanted to add a metallic navy blue reissue and an exotic flap preferably in python leather. 

Hahaha I realize my reissue was VERY specific.  It's very difficult to get a particular color that you would want because every season Chanel only debuts a few colors per season and I wasn't just looking for any ole' blue I was looking for a dark blue and not only was I looking for a dark blue but I was looking for a dark blue in a metallic leather AND not only was I looking for a dark blue metallic but I also wanted it in reissue form.

HAHAH difficult much? 

My second choice was also extremely difficult but as an avid handbag lover I really felt like an exotic leather would ultimately complete my Chanel collection.  This was extremely problematic for me because the 5 exotic leathers that Chanel offers are String ray, Crocodile, Alligator, Ostrich and Python.  Let's just say the first 4 are so expensive that I'd be able to purchase an Hermes Birkin and a couple of other accessories from Hermes to boot!  Those were so obviously out of the question.  Python however is a bit more price friendly, still expensive nonetheless but not too far off from a lambskin or caviar leather Chanel flap bag.

Unfortunately for me python is not allowed into the state of California and I live in San Francisco.  GRRR!

As you can see both my #1 and my #2 choices for completing my Chanel collection seemed completely out of reach.
                                

I casually wandered into the Chanel boutique at Neiman Marcus and I could not believe what my eyes saw sitting in a glass case all by itself....

A Python Reissue in Metallic Navy Blue!

UMMMMMM WHAT?!?! IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?! I thought it would be impossible for me to find what I wanted in two SEPERATE flaps but this bag standing before me has everything I could wish for rolled up into one bag?!

I seriously could not believe my eyes. The hubs took one look at it and told the Chanel SA to wrap it up right quick!

He said even as a guy he could tell it was a "sick bag" BAHAHAHAHA.

THEN he said this way I don't have to pay for two bags just one! (so the real reason comes out! ;p)

The Chanel SA @ Neiman's told me that only 12 were ordered for Neiman Marcus in the entire United States.   I later spoke with my Chanel boutique SA and she told me that between Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstroms and actual Chanel boutiques there are probably less than 100 in circulation in the entire United States.

The Reissue flap differs from the classical flap in that it has the mademoiselle lock which is the square turn lock you see above.  This reissue was designed and created by Coco Chanel herself and introduced in 1955 the lock is named Mademoiselle because Coco Chanel never married. 

The classical flap which has the CC turn lock in the front was actually designed by Karl Lagerfeld and was not introduced until the 1980's.  The handle on the reissue is an all chain handle whereas on the classic it has leather interwoven between the chain links

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am by this bag.  Those of you that follow my blog know I'm totally obsessed with all things sparkly, shimmery and that I'm totally obsessed with anything jewel toned.  This bag has a glorious deep blue color that I really can't even fully capture with my camera.

All exotic leather flaps have a metal tag plate on the inside whereas a non-exotic leather flap would have an ink imprint of the word "Chanel" and it's country of origin on the inside.

The bag can be worn single chained, double chained and cross body.

People always ask me what I do with my serial number ID cards.  I actually store each of my cards in the top zipper area of the flap.  I never access this area because I'm paranoid that if I actually put anything on the inside of the zipper it might indent the leather so I just slide my ID card into it and zip it up.  This way I'll never lose the card either because I never access that area. 

Your serial number ID card is very important should you ever decide to sell your Chanel bag it helps to retail the value of your bag as well as validating it's authenticity.  A lot of buyers prefer to only purchase a Chanel bag with an ID card unless of course it's a true vintage bag that was created before the serial cards were invented.

That's a wrap on my Vegas trip! :)  Hope you guys enjoyed the pictures!