Fashion Week Handbags: Chanel Spring 2011

Over the past few seasons, I’ve noticed more and more Chanel fans expressing disappointment of one sort or another with the brand’s handbags. Too gimmicky, too expensive, not loyal enough to the brand’s customer base – we heard at least one, if not all, of those opinions every time we posted about a Chanel bag in this space. If you’re a former client who has found yourself disenchanted, you may want to take a look at the bags from Chanel Spring 2011.

It’s difficult to term this collection a return to form, since the brand seems to always churn out a few sought-after bags every season, no matter what. So I’ll just say this: many of the bags that went down the runway in Paris’s Grand Palais yesterday presented wearable, luxurious, aesthetically pleasing options for grown women in a variety of situations. From tiny, glittering flap evening bags to clutches made to look like old leather-bound books, the inventiveness of seasons past was still present; it just managed to show up alongside things like oversized 2.55 leather clutches without a gimmick in sight.

Photos via Style.com.