Chanel Classic Flap Bag vs. Reissue 2.55

One very commonly asked question on our Chanel Forum is on the difference between the Chanel Classic Flap and the Chanel Reissue 2.55 bags. I’ve scoured the forums this morning
to educate myself, and our readers about the differences between the two. Let me start with a few historical facts on the Reissue.

HISTORY:

The lock on the Reissue is the original lock, it is called the Mademoiselle Lock as Ms Coco Chanel never married, the ‘CC’ lock was introduced to the Classic Flap Bags only in
the 1980s by designer Karl Lagerfeld. The 2.55 in its name refers to the first release of the 2.55 bag in February of 1955. Coco Chanel grew up in an orphanage/convent, therefore, the double chain shoulder strap comes from when the children’s’ caretakers in the orphanage would dangle keys from their waists with the same type of chains as on the Reissue. Also, the zippered compartment on the inside of the front flap of the Reissue is where Coco sequestered her love letters, as she was having an affair at that time.

The brownish red color of the inside represents the color of Coco and the rest of the children’s uniforms (the nuns’ were black with white trim: thus, the packaging on Chanel
Parfum/Eau de Parfum/Eau de Toilette). The back outside flap of the Reissue actually marks where Coco would stash extra money!

Over the years there have been many variations to the original design of the 2.55, including the leather/fabric, the chain - metal vs. interwoven leather, single flap vs. double
flap, and the closure - mademoiselle vs. interlocking CC. The 2.55 refers to all flap-style bags, including variations of the original! The term classic flap commonly refers to
the flap with the interlocking CC closure and the leather interwoven chain.

In February 2005, Karl Lagerfeld re-made the 2.55 - exactly as Coco Chanel had made in 1955, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 2.55. It came to be known as the
Reissue. Technically the term Reissue should only be used for the bags that were made to commemorate the original - so only those in 2005. However, it has become convenient to
call all 2.55s that resemble the original 2.55 Reissues and all 2.55s that have the interlocking CCs Classic Flaps.

Why Will People Keep Buying Chanel and Louis Vuitton In A Recession?

Apparently Topshop, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Forever 21 aren’t doing too badly in the recession, even as their peers are experiencing millions of dollars in losses. A WWD survey of a 100 luxury industry experts came up with those four brands as the most likely to succeed in this economy and, as you can see, there’s quite a disparity in price points. We understand why Topshop and Forever 21 will do well—they’re on trend, fun and dirt cheap—but Chanel and Louis Vuitton need a little further explanation. Why Chanel and LV, not Prada and Dior? What is it about these particular $3,000 bags that makes them relatively recession-proof?
Some of the professionals surveyed credited the brands’ uses of social media for part of their success. And that’s probably true. But we think the answer is much simpler: they’re classic. Chanel, in particular, changes a bit season to season under Karl Lagerfeld’s direction, but it’s always more or less the same and oh-so-very-Chanel. Louis Vuitton, too, does massive special projects like its urrent Stephen Sprouse collection and the Murakami multi-colored
bags that blew up a couple years back, but they’re always anchored by their monogram bags.
So yeah, that Chanel iPhone app is kind of cool, but it’s not what’s keeping them afloat. They’re relying on the universal recognition and fad-defying longevity of their quilted bags and tweed jackets. And we’re not so sure of how much we love the LV monogram label-whoring, but its definitely worth it’s weight in gold for Louis Vuitton.
People like huffing the smell of the fresh leather in a Louis Vuitton fake purse even more than they like inhaling other drugs. It turns out, knockoff shopaholics have marijuana, heroin, and even cocaine addicts beat! Designer copies are a trillion dollar a year industry, but it’s a business that is also run by shady gangsters, and in some cases, terrorist groups.
In this month’s issue of Time magazine, Gary Jones traveled to Bangkok to see who is really getting offed by knockoffs. As if child labor, illegal prostitution, and gang wars weren’t bad enough byproducts of “Marc Facobs” handbags, John Newton from Interpol (not the band, the police org) warned back in 2005, “North African radical fundamentalist groups in Europe, al-Qaeda and Hizballah all derive income from counterfeiting.” Sheesh!