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Sale Alert!
So I woke up this morning and saw that Fashionphile was having an end of summer sale! The timing couldn’t be better if you’re in the market for a fall bag. They have some amazing options up for grabs under this sell, including some Chanel and Louis Vuitton options. Click this link here and use code :SS200 at checkout to get $200 off your purchase
When I envisioned my first Chanel bag, images of a classic flap or a WOC came to my mind. I was fairly certain I was going to go for one of those.
And then I saw the Boy, in a soft baby pink with chevron quilting and crystal chainmail running through the groves and instantly though; that’s the bag for me.
This was my first ever Chanel bag, and I even though I had nowhere to go at the time (because it was smack dab at the start of the pandemic and I was 8 months pregnant), I was ecstatic and excited to get the chance to use it.
Fast forward almost 2 1/2 years later, I’ve had more time to get use to this bag and wanted to sit down and chat with ya’ll about it. People seem to either love or REALLY hate this bag, so I wanted to blog my thoughts about it and wheatear or not I think this bag is still revenant in 2022.
Boy Bag History and Specs
Designed by the late Karl Largfeild and related in Fall/Winter 2011, the Boy bag was inspired by Chanel’s greatest love, Boy Chapel.
Opposite to the maternally and feminine classic flap, the Boy bag with its large hardware pieces and mix textures comes off as more masculine and edgy.
This bag was an immediate hit and has been offered every season since its inception in various styling and texture; yet always sporting it’s signature double C lock and thick ribbed edging.
While the Boy has been offered in 6 different sizes throughout the years, the current sizes available at the time of this post are: mini, small and large (the new medium size–Chanel is very wonky about sizes and names).
Shop these styles and more over on Fashionphile
About My Specific Boy
My purchased my Boy from Fashionphile in 2020 for my 30th birthday for around $3,400.00 USD. According to the tag, it was officially released in the fall of 2014 (14 K) for $7,000.00 USD. While the shopping tag described the bag as “large”, comparing it to other Boys that I’ve seen, I’m going to say that it’s a New medium size, which I think is prefect for daily use.
The bag is in pastel pink calfskin leather with gun metal ruthenium hardware and crystal like chainmail runs down the groves of the chevron quilting. This beautifully juxtaposes the the ultra feminine that Chanel is now popularized for with their historic masculaine and boyish influenced roots.
The interior is also quiet a contrast from the outside. While the bag is a light and airy pastel color, the inside is a deep navy blue, which I had originally mistaken for black. This bag seems to be all about blending contradictions and IMO it plays perfectly in this particular piece.
Boy Bags in General
There are a few things that are universal with Chanel Boy bags.
The first being that the Boys, has a lot of details. From the “CC” engraving on the push lock, the Chanel engaging on the metal plates and the double interlocking c’s on the metal nibs on the shoulder strap; the bag has a lot of filigreeing (metal art work), and for those who are into that, its really cool to see.
The bag also features a thick metal chain fed through two gourmets at the top with a leather strap for comfort (more on that strap later). They all also feature a pipped edging around the circumference of the bag that frames the face of the bag, which can be chevron, lattice quilting or any other number of patterns Chanel has put out. It looks like a picture frame in my opinion that showcases the style of that bag.
Moving on from the flap, the body of the bag is made of a smother leather that is not as structured as the flap portion is. It is stitched together in the center to give it a bit more support, however it will sag over time if no addition support is added. Then the interior is made up of a soft cotton drill lining. I know some people feel that for a $5,000.00+ bag, the whole thing should be leather and to an extent I agree. But this bag would be impossibly heave it it was full leather, so its more functional this way I think.
The Functionality,Durability & Usability of the Boy
It was around March of this year that I realized I haven’t made a blog specificity about the Boy and how I’ve gotten on with it. And seeing that we were getting out a lot more at this point, I (somewhat stupidly and you’ll see why soon) decided that I wanted to take it on a few work outings with me to see how I liked it.
In case you missed it, I manage and invest in real estate for my main work and on this particular day, I needed to visit several hardware stores to get wood cut, pick up different tools for projects and decided on finishings for a project.
Now, a lot of ya’ll are probably thinking that a hardware store is no place for a Chanel bag–and you would be 100% right. But I did learn a lot about how the bag functions, wears and its durability during this process. So lets start with functionality.
The Boy is a full flap bag, meaning that the front flap closes at the bottom of the bas, as apposed to closing towards the middle of the bag like the classic flap. I’m generally a fan of full flaps bags as I love the vintage full flaps but because of how structured the flap is and how wide the depth of the bag is, the flap feels usually long and large. It doesn’t pop up easily so it can feel like you’re fighting and fumbling just to get to your things inside. It reality I might have only taken me a few extra sections to get things in and out, but it defiantly felt a lot longer.
The interior is also a lot smaller than the outside would leave you to believe. While I do think the new medium size is great and prefect for daily and causal use, you’re not getting the whole kitchen in the bag. I can get my wallet, PM agenda AirPods a small water and pens in here no problem and thats all I really need when I’m meeting up with folks or running quick errands.
The last thing I wanted to note on the bags functionality;it has no back pocket. I didn’t think this would be an issue for me, but it was. Generally, I add my work receipts to my bags back pocket so that I can easily file them later, but since the Boy doesn’t have that option, I instead have to fight and fumble with the flap again to get etc receipt stored away. It’s not a huge issue, but I think the bag would be way more functional with a back pocket.
Moving on to usability and how it wears, the Boy can be worn crossbody or on the shoulder. Wearing it as a shoulder bags has presented two problems however. If you wear it with the chain on your shoulders, it will start slipping off. There seemed to be nothing I could do to stop it. And if you wear it with the leather strap, the metal nibs, as pretty as they are, can start pulling at your hair. This issue is easily remedied by just keeping your hair up or pulling it to the side, but it is an issue to note.
The Boy feels best to be when I wear it crossbody. Thought the problem is that it’s a bulky structured bag. I started to notice that while I was at the hardware store, my bag was knocking into everything. When I got back into the car, I noticed a huge dent in the back of my bag from where it had knocked into some hammers and I was being very careful going down the ails. I wish I could show you the dent, but that actually leads me to the final thing I wanted to touch on which was durability.
I showed my husband the huge dent that happened once I got back to the car and we had brainstormed a few ways where we may be able to buff it out some. I was going to stake a picture of it the next day to document it, but miraculously, it was gone by them. Im not sure if its a combination of the calfskin, chevron quilting, the chainmail of what, but this bag is very durable. Since then, It has gotten knocked around a few times (never on purpose but life happens) and every time, it pops back into place. Again, I’m not sure if this is a quality of all Boy bags but it’s a quality of mine.
Is the Boy Worth it?
Of course, only you can answer this question for yourself. But some folks are going to be real hesitant handing over $6,000.00 USD for a bag they aren’t sure about. So I hope my answer here will give you some better insight.
The Boy in this color way and finishing suits my style to a T, and I believe there is a Boy bag out there that can sing to anyone’s heart artistic wise; especially if you perfer more youthful and edgier styles.
But the bag being beautiful alone doesn’t make it worth it. You really need to consider your lifestyle and what you plan on using the bag for in order to determine if its going to be worth your time and for me, the bag is.
Despite it’s short comings with the strap and flap, I mostly use this bag for running quick errands and brunch dates with my friends and family. It’s just large enough to carry anything I’ll need on a quick trip and while it’s bulky, it’s not at all heavy so it doesn’t bother me carrying it around like some other bags have.
I truly dislike how the chain always slips off, how there’s no back pocket and how the flap is kinda ridiculously large, but all of that is not enough to make me not want to connote using the bag.
Now, would I pay current retail price? Me, just being who I am, I think I would opt to go pre loved for this bag if I ever consider getting a second one. There are tons of options on the market in new or like new condition that are selling under retail value. You can save a bit of money, be a little bit sustainable and get the exact same look and feeling as you would have shopping for it in stores (or something close to the same feeling).
I highly suggest that if you’re going to shop second hand though, shop at a location where you can make a return just in case you decide the bag isn’t for you.
Final Thought
Like Chanel herself, the Boy bag has a lot of strong feelings surrounding it both positive and negative. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing this bag for yourself, I would defiantly advise you to take a pause and really think about if it’s suited for your life and needs.
If the bulkiness is going to be an issue for you, you might want to consider either the small of mini sizes. Or you may want to forgo this bag all together if a lack of a back pocket, the cumbersome flap or slippery chain are going to be major issues for you.
But if you can look pass all of those things and enjoy a walking art piece perfectly sized to carry daily basics then this bag could be meant for you too.
Ya’ll know my thoughts so I would love to hear what your thoughts are on the Chanel Boy bag, if you think it will remain a classic and if you think it’s worth the investment! I’m also working hard to be more consistent on Instagram and Youtube, so if you’d like to see even more close up pictures of my bag, check us out over there!
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