In February 1955 when Gabrielle Chanel created a handbag that freed up women’s movements, a bag with lines as beautiful as they were functional, she revolutionized the world of fashion and accessories. For more than 30 years, Karl Lagerfeld has been continuing this tradition and enriching the legacy. Today he launches a new bag, the Gabrielle.
Introduced during the Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear runway show, this bag draws from the futuristic spirit of the collection with a mischievous wink to Gabrielle Chanel. Indeed, the designer was inspired by the shape of augmented reality glasses, and also by the binocular cases gentlemen would wear over the shoulder at the racecourse. We know menswear gave Gabrielle Chanel the idea to design, among so many other things, bags that were both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
Crafted from aged calfskin with a quilted body and a smooth base, in black or white unicolours or bicolours (black/white, navy/black, beige/black), the Gabrielle handbag comes as a hobo version, itself available in three formats, a backpack, a large shopper and a supple purse contained in a rigid half-case. This purse exists in numerous versions: in addition to the leather version there’s black python and also vibrant shades of yellow, pink, red, blue and aqua. The lining is a garnet-hued cloth, the ultimate reference to the first-ever bags created by Gabrielle Chanel.
With the Gabrielle handbag, Karl Lagerfeld renews the distinctive codes of CHANEL and perpetuates the history of a House: a beautiful tribute to its founder who always put comfort and women’s freedom at the heart of all her creations.
