My 1st Chanel Bag - The East West Flap

I present to you my baby, my first Chanel bag ever, my east west flap in beige! Please note that I'm not trying to brag, I'm here to share my passion for something that I truly enjoy, and hopefully share some insights through my experience for those of you who are interested in this bag or this brand in general :)

I have planned for this purchase for a long time. I always knew I wanted to eventually purchase a Chanel bag. Around last year, I learned about the existence of the East West flap which looks very similar to the classic for very a slightly cheaper price. I had my eyes set on it as my 25th birthday present to myself (end of next year.. the thought of being a quarter of a century old is just daunting). However, I have been considering of advancing the purchase because of Chanel's constant price increases. Then one thing happened last week that pulled the trigger. I found out that Chanel was discontinuing the East West Flap. My heart sank. I knew I had to somehow track down the last ones that are still in the market.

So on Saturday, I went with my girlfriends to Holt Renfrew at the Bloor location of Toronto to check out the Chanel boutique there. The reason why I chose to go to Holts rather than the actual store about 5 minutes down the street is because Holts was having a promotion where you get 25% of your purchase back in a gift card for your next purchase. I was thinking WHOA what an awesome deal right (especially when I was going to commit to such a large purchase). The story will continue later regarding this gift card. So I walked into the store, and there I was inside the most beautiful store I can ever be in surrounded by gorgeousness. I went straight to the SA and asked for the East West flap. She referred to it as the "Baguette"? I'm not sure if that's the second name for it. Let me know if you know! Anyway, she handed me the bag from the shelf behind her, a gorgeous beige - the colour that I wanted from the beginning. And there, the first thing she told me was "We are having a 15% to 20% price increase tomorrow." I nearly had an heart attack. I knew at that time that I was going to get the bag now or never.

Trying to calm myself down, I spotted the classic small in black with gold hardware. I immediately grabbed it for comparison. If I'm spending that much money on something, I better make sure I choose the right one. The one that I absolutely love. After a thorough comparison in which the process includes drawing a venn diagram in my head, listing the pros and cons, completing an intense mental report, I walked out of the store with a big smile on my face. What about the gift card, you ask me? Chanel doesn't participate in the Holt Renfrew promotion :( Sigh.

Difference between the East West Flap and the Classic Small
- The e/w flap is wider, shorter, and narrower
- The e/w flap has only one chain that goes to around my waist at most whereas if you can adjust the Classics to be around your hip area with only 1 chain or under your shoulders and have 2 chains.
- The Classic has another flap inside.
- Before the price increase (already happened on May 1st), the East West Flap was $700 cheaper than the Classic Small.




The strap can be adjusted so that it can be used as a clutch.


The side

The back


This is how to adjust the length of the strap. There's a hook inside the bag where you can hook your strap on to the length that you prefer.


The interior

It comes with an authenticity card with a number at the back.



Inside the dust bag

Now you might prefer the Classic over this, but I had my eyes on this for a while and the fact that it's discontinuing and that it's cheaper got me. Leave a comment if you are planning to purchase a Chanel bag, own a Chanel bag, or just love the Chanel bag! If so, which colour and style do you prefer?