Omg! I bought myself The Chanel Modern Chain Tote Bag At Auction!!!!
For those who don’t already know, I’m a huge fan of Chiswick Auctions and every few months they have a specialist auction selling a designer handbags and fashion. I’ve bought and sold some Chanel via Chiswick Auctions before and as a result, I always have a nosey of the online catalog. Anyway! I spotted a few items I loved and on the morning of the auction I made a last minute phone call to place a couple of bids on items. Just so you know, I wasn’t one of those people bidding via the phone in real time, I just put down a price I was willing to pay and hoped for the best! As luck would have it, no one else wanted this metallic blue Chanel Modern Chain Tote Bag and I won it!!! For the hammer price!!!!!! Honestly! I still can’t believe it!
Condition
This bag was marked as a Grade B condition, mainly because of the slight wear to the leather and the slightly more wear to the chain and leather around the chain. Aside from that… this bag is in spectacular condition!!!! As you can imagine, Chiswick auctions are fairly conservative with their condition gradings, I think if this bag had been sold on eBay or somewhere less… meticulous, it would have been categorised as a B+. Anyway! That’s the condition, for me, I see why some might not be happy with a little slivering if the leather and chain, but for me, I think it looks fabulous and the slight wear just takes away the fear of carrying a brand new pristine Chanel bag around town! Y’know?
Chanel Modern Chain Tote Bag Design
This bag is a whole heap of fun! I love the bright metallic blue leather, the slightly tacky (can I say that?!) blue metallic chain handle and the oversized interlocking C’s on the front. It’s bold, brash and playful! It’s a bag which doesn’t take itself too seriously but also says ‘hello, my name is fabulous. Let’s order a cocktail with lunch’. This bag is here to have some fun, maybe not to party all night, but deffo have a great day! The bag can be worn with the trapeze sides out, or you can fold them into the bag to create a slightly neater silhouette. Personally, I wear mine with the trapeze sides out as that’s just the way it naturally sits and I’m happy just having it as a slouchy, oversized bag. As for the lining, it’s a fabric lined handbag, which is nice as it helps keep the weight of the bag down, but saying that, this bag is big and made with lots of chain and leather, so it’s not the worlds’ lightest handbag. Personally I think you can fit a fair bit inside without it getting too heavy and cumbersome. Maybe it’s the tote style and the chunky chain straps, but I find this chain tote bag easier and lighter to carry than the jumbo classic flap bag.
Authenticity
Oh so this is a big one! And SO important! When you are buying Chanel (or any designer bag) on the pre-loved market, how do you know if it’s authentic?! I’m not gonna lie… it’s hard! Especially if you are buying from somewhere where it’s a direct seller-to-buyer transaction. Which is why I advise to avoid eBay, Etsy, gumtree, Craig’s list… unless you are an expert, you could end up making a costly error! Personally I like to buy my pre-loved Chanel via any seller /service / platform which has an authentication service. Each item Chiswick Auction consigns is authenticated and guaranteed by an expert, so you will never get caught out. Side note, I also really love Vestiaire Collective. Friends. It’s important!
Occasion
For me, this Chanel Modern Chain Tote Bag has a bit of a streetwear vibe. It gives me 80’s New York Hip-hop vibes, but also ‘after this we’ll got to the grocery store’ vibes. It’s a shopper with a side of sass. Personally this bag is perfect for me hopping around town, doing my shopping and still having enough space to squeeze my laptop in. It’s slouchy and fun, but it’s also a show stopper with its bright blue leather and ballsy logo. Personally I use it as a day bag and it’s best worn with
Price
Let’s talk money!!!! No really, let’s break it down and chat about how much I paid for this bad boy! So, I hinted about the price above and how I got it for the starting bid, but what is that? So, first of all, it’s important to mention I was the only person who bid on this bag and if others had been bidding, there’s not a chance I would have got this bag as my bid was insanely low. However, on the day I got lucky and I’m SO pleased! I got the bag for a hammer price of £750, with a further charge of £225 of buyers premium, so the price I paid for it, was £975. Which I think is pretty amazing!!!
Further Reading…
As a Chanel fan, I have written a fair few blog posts about buying and selling Chanel bags over the past few years and here are some that I think you might want to check out! Chanel Color Transfer: What You Need To Know About The Lambskin Leather bags!, Shopping: Which Chanel Bag Should You Buy First?, Luxury Handbags: Everything You Need To Know About The Chanel Boy Bag!, How To Sell A Chanel Bag and Chanel Handbags: The Chanel Boy Bag Vs Classic Flap.
Go Shopping!!
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I bought this Chanel Modern Chain Tote Bag from Chiswick Auctions with my own money – no discount or incentives. Just so you know! However, this post does have some affiliate links in, which does not affect the price you pay for any items, it just earns me a small amount of commission if you buy something with my link!
