Amélie Boutique is a great online shop that offers a variety of clothing, jewellery bags and shoes and even three gorgeous vintage Chanel bags in pristine condition. I've seen some great Chanel bags from the online store Claire Inc., but never have I seen such quality in the leather. The bags they're selling certainly don't come with a second hand price tag, costing some thousand and a half British pounds each- it's not really what you expect from seeing the words 'vintage' and 'heriloom' but then again the condition is as new, the leather not cracked and the metal plated chain is still completely intact and not showing any signs of wear at all.
Beggars can't be choosers when it comes to the vintage market unless you have a lot of cash to mindlessly throw around, in which case you'll have your pick of the litter and get to afford the cream of the crop. There are quite a few lovely Chanel pieces that come online on eBay as well but nothing to this quality and standard.
I don't know who in their right mind wouldn't love to flash around a Chanel handbag and keep them cooped up in a wardrobe all day- bags this lovely were made to see the light of day and enjoy the sun! Still, for the person who did choose to hoard away their Chanel treasures, it leaves the people of the present to enjoy the lovely colour of this brilliant Chanel quilted hand bag and the plated gold metal chains without any wear at the corners. When I search around for vintage pieces from high end fashion houses such as Chanel, I'm usually trying to find bags and accessories that are more within my price range as opposed to browsing around their stores in person. You'd have no such luck with the same philosophical approach if you bought a vintage Chanel bag from Amélie Boutique.
One of the most gorgeous and my favourite structured bags from Chanel for its vintage design is the bucket bag you see before you with drawstring cord, a leather strap threaded with a gold chain and rich black tassels. This photograph shows off the texture of the leather and how it's survived the test of time with tender love and care and those gorgeous tassels. I think I'm a sucker for just about any vintage Chanel bag as long as it has some tassels attached to it. As well as the tassels of this bag sitting at the top are thick gold charms too with a quilted effect and the iconic double C logo of Chanel.
It's sort of been my dream bag hiding in the back of my subconscious for a number of years now but I'll probably never be one of those girls who walks around and everyone is dying to find out who she is. No- I'll be the girl sitting behind her computer screen feeling content for the next number of years as she passes her way through university and trying to transfer into Melbourne University and realise her childhood dreams which now seem impossible. At least for the time being I can go to the library and read copies of Vogue, books of cheesy romances as well as enjoy free wi-fi and indulge in glorious things I'll never be able to buy. If I were a Buddhist I would be the worst example and leading a life heavily influenced by objects and possession but fortunately I'm not that way religiously inclined.
