WEARABLE ART - EXQUISITE CHANEL FINDS

While fashion mavens are abuzz with the exciting placement of Virginie Viard as Chanel’s new Creative Director who made her haute couture debut at Grand Palais earlier this year setting the contemporary stage for a new wave of timelessness, we want to rewind the runway to revisit a few of the most imaginative and iconic handbags to emerge from the house of Chanel within the past decade.

"I've got my feet on the ground, but this collection is up-to-earth, not down-to-earth," said Karl Lagerfeld about his iconic autumn/winter 2013 collection for Chanel, where models walked around a huge 'CC'-adorned globe. Shrunk down to clutch-size, this vintage Chanel minaudiere bag is crafted from glossy black plexiglass embossed with a grid and is carried by a black woven-chain wrist strap. Tonal gunmetal hardware and a matte black monogram keep the effect sleek. Its compact interior is sized for little essentials like makeup and a phone.

This Limited Edition and extremely sought after Take Away Box bag from the Chanel Shanghai Accessories Runway Collection is crafted from a combination of black lambskin leather and metallic fabric. Both exuberant and whimsical, the piece features the signature CC logo plaque embossed in silver-tone metal hardware at the front, a chain-link trim and the iconic Chanel silver metal strap. The four top flaps of the bag are sealed by a magnetic closure but open to reveal a spacious black leather interior for all your daily essentials and a Chanel silver logo plaque.

Chanel's signature blend of black and pearl is given a modern update in this dazzling rendition of the Lego clutch. The plexiglass minaudiere, from spring/summer 2016, is a stunning collector's item, inlaid with pearls and a glossy Chanel CC across its facade. This is accented with a pearl-beaded shoulder strap. The bag is designed with a magnetic fastening and leather-lined interior featuring a logo and a central zipped compartment.

The Chanel Brasserie Gabrielle Plates Clutch Bag was birthed from Karl Lagerfeld’s Autumn /Winter 2015 ‘The Brasserie Gabrielle Collection at the Grand Palais which sought to personify the elegance of the Parisian dining experience. Delicate as the perfect brunch soufflé, this clutch is made from two overlapping plexiglass plates affixed to soft white calfskin to form the bag compartment with a white satin interior.

This is a Limited Edition Chanel Doll bag from the Pre-Fall 2012 Métiers d'Art Collection. Black resin Chanel Paris-Bombay Doll clutch with gold-tone and gunmetal hardware, chain-link and leather top handle, crystal embellishments throughout, pearl trim, black resin interior lining and CC turn-lock closure at front face.

There are few symbols closer to the heart of the Chanel brand than a No5 perfume bottle. A rare collectors’ item, this Chanel No5 minaudière is crafted from a black plexiglass, finished with pale gold-plated hardware, and a woven chain strap.

Got milk? This incredibly rare and limited edition Chanel milk carton bag derives from one of Karl Lagerfeld's most infamous runway stagings of all time, the supermarket emporium of autumn/winter 2014. Its iridescent silver leather is detailed with quilted side panels and reads 'lait de Coco' across its front in pearls, crystals strass and silver-tone metal. To be worn shoulder-slung from Chanel's signature leather-threaded chain strap, in white.

Crafted in Italy, this extremely rare and highly sought after bag from the Chanel 2014 Fall/Winter Runway Collection showcases a soft raven black lambskin leather trim, silver-plated brass accents and a distinctive interwoven basket design, synonymous with a traditional shopping cart. Adorned with a hanging CC logo charm for a modern touch, this luxury piece can be displayed as a piece of art within your home or office, carried over the arm or alternatively by the hand using the dual top handles. The bag features an open top which reveals a spacious interior with room for all your Chanel essentials and is perfect for any collector looking for that one of a kind piece.