Tuesday, May 3, 2011

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?

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's GORG, Edwina! Congrats! I'm eying one of the black classic flaps, but I'm still doing my research. It's a shame about the price increase. I knew about it beforehand, but couldn't bring myself to go and purchase one. Maybe when I'm 25? ; ) Same goal as you, but then again, the increases are sort of pushing me to find one asap. I'd probably get a preowned one if this continues. D:

Unknown said...

What a stunning purse, Edwina! Congrats on the purchase. I've always wanted a Chanel bag.. maybe when Im older? :)

xx, Channie
http://channieinthecity.blogspot.com

FOLLOW BACK! :D

Amy said...

OMG GORGEOUS bag Edwina!!!! I hope I can get the classic flap ( I haven't decided the color yet) in the future XD

a said...

beautiful :) i'm totally jealous!

Kristie said...

Beautiful bag! Congratulations on procuring your first CC. Thanks for sharing your lovely haul with us.

Unknown said...

love the chanel bag ^__^

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Cher said...

Girl, nothing wrong with sharing something with us, I love seeing all the nice things other people get and truly happy you worked hard to get such a lovely expensive bag. A Chanel would be nice to have and I'm drooling over your purchase, haha I hope I can save enough for one too one day :)

Anonymous said...

I'm so jealouss!!!!!!! XD Its like my dream to own a Chanel! Super happpyy for youuu!

Rad said...

It's gorgeoussss!! I'm planning to get myself one but not any sooner as I'm still a poor student. :( but I know that one day I will buy myself one. How much is it? So I can prepare myself when the time comes :)

o0SerenityAngel0o said...

that bag is gorgeous!!! so jealous right now XD

MissS.elle said...

Omg Congrats for your first Chanel bag Edwina! :D It's absolutely gorgeous!!

mizzsandychau said...

it's gorgeous! you're lucky you went at a perfect time!

Unknown said...

yay you finally have it revealed lol! I am so glad you didnt get the classic small black because that would be wayy too common. (still nice but not as nice) I like this one much better! glad you saved some bucks too haha <3

Lisa said...

Awww congrats chica! I would just die for a beige flap!! You are very lucky that then store had the east west in stock because I haven't seen them on the store shelves for at least 2 years ( and I'm in the chanel store and neiman Marcus on an almost daily basis Heheh)

Its also called the baguette because that's the French name for thisnpiece because of the long thin shape like a French baguette :)

Just a word of advice there have been stories about the clasp thing malfunctioning if you put too many things inside of your purse the chain drags the clasp open and the two round edges have been known to press itself onto the leather of the chanel bags and caused indentations and even hole marks inside the purse. You can also adjust the length of your flap easily by using one of those bread twist ties just slip it between two chains and twist or I use a piece of ribbon and you also just slip it between two different parts of the chain depending on the length that you prefer!

Unknown said...

it's so beautiful! i love the color too but you're going to have to baby it like crazy because it's going to get dirty easily ><
i'm saving up for the classic chanel in black (i know i'm boring lol) but that's only after until i get a miu miu sighhhhh after i get those 2 i can die happy XD

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your new baby! Jealousy is oozing out of my pores, LOL.

Unknown said...

Congrats! So jealous of you right now haha xD You picked a great color - it's beautiful :)

Gorgeous Glam said...

Gorgeous bag! I love the color it goes with everything! xo

Joey said...

OMG it's BEAUTIFUL!! Nice one!
Ah, I've always told myself that when I'm financially stable, I'll get myself a Chanel; my dream bag. This dream seems so far away as I've actually worked for 2 years, but it still didn't feel "right". Maybe in a few more years time. I'm looking at the classic black. I toyed with the idea of a red one (saw one limited ed one), but felt black would be safest for me. I'm so klutzy I swear.

In response to your comment on my blog: Camden Market is actually a whole street of shops, then little sections of more stalls so it's fairly big, I'd say.
Tons of accessories and clothes! The necklaces you saw on my blog range from £3 to £12, not too bad really. Also, like my bowler hat, haggling is allowed hehe
There are some quirky home decor stuff actually. Not much, mostly funny clocks and wall decorations and such.
haha don't mind your questions at all. I LOVE promoting London :D

Amy said...

Hey Edwina, just wanted to let you know that I gave you a blogger award, because I think you really deserve it xxx Amy

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sphlovescosmetics said...

i love your new chanel bag

Unknown said...

what a beautiful bag! i always eye a nice classy chanel bag whenever i see someone wearing one! i love the colour you chose and i can't believe they are discontinuing it :( i'd probably go for a black classic one (someday) haha congrats on your new baby :)

Marie said...

Good investment, Edwina!:D Thanks for sharing this lovely purchase.:D

I have a classic large flap in black and I love it - I know that I will use it forever.:D

I hope you are having a wonderful week!:D

***** Marie *****
allthingsmarie.com

mia said...

ooh its gorgeous and so classic! You have great taste, congrats!

milk tea girl said...

*gasp* great choice on the colour :) but i do prefer the classic personally...really wish i had known about the price increase tho!!

Mana said...

Wow great bag!!! You're sooo lucky!!! I never knew they were discontinuing this bad! Well I guess you can tell how out of the loop I am with bags hahaha I think you picked a great bag! I keep telling myself that one day I will have a Chanel bag too =P It's great that it was still in stock when you found out it was going to be discontinued! I personally find the classic flaps to be too small for my tastes, I love big bags so if I had to get a a flap I would get something like the jumbo XL LOL but right now I have my eye on the GST or the timeless tote but I love he GST more =P

DoodleDollyx said...

omg!!!! its definately a true beauti!!!!!!! I love love love it! I think chanel is on my list!! lol!!

Ailing said...

OMG! It's beautiful! :0 HAHA, I can't wait to make my first genuine Chanel handbag purchase! :$
Just curious, how much was the bag? :)

I hope all has been well. xx

Carmen said...

<3 !!!!!

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Unknown said...

Yeah, I agree that Chanel Purse quality is superb that you will definitely like it to purchase for yourself or to gift your loved ones on special occasions because every woman looks for best quality and trendy handbags and I am sure your friends will like it.


Black Chickadee said...

Fast forward to 2017! I regretted not purchasing this bag back in 2011 but then again I was just a teaching intern. Was trying to locate this beauty and my dear friend owns one and says they are now retailing for 2200 usd or lower which is not bad considering how expensive chanel bags are, the minis are 3800 usd? R
Did you end up keeping this beige baguette? Still using it or did you sell it?

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