Fall 2023 It-Bag Alert: Chanel Party Kelly
Thought the mini bag craze was over? Well, not so fast, as Chanel’s adorable new Party Kelly bag is already sold out – and it hasn’t even launched yet!
First spotted on the brand’s FW24 runway, the new Chanel arm candy is a reinterpretation of the brand’s vintage style known as Party Kelly. Produced during the 80s and 90s, the Chanel Party Kelly was characterized by a trapezoidal silhouette with two curved top handles. And don’t even try to confuse it with the classic Hermès Kelly bag! But well, you probably wouldn’t, as even the vintage version of the Chanel Party Kelly boasts a prominent CC logo in the front, which is a dead giveaway the bag is from Chanel, and not from Hermès.
The vintage Chanel Party Kelly also arrived in a number of different materials, with the vintage Party Kelly bag in Crocodile often selling for astronomic amounts through the pre-loved market. See, for example, this listing at 1stdibs. As you can see, they are currently asking for over $200,000 for the bag in crocodile. Crazy, isn’t it? I mean, this easily rivals resale prices of the Hermès Mini Kelly bag in croc!
It goes without saying that options for the vintage Chanel Party Kelly in standard leather are just as sought after by handbag collectors. And perhaps this is exactly why Chanel has made a decision to revive the style now.
The New Chanel Party Kelly Bag
Launching as part of Chanel’s “Nano Shopping” theme within its Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection, the new Chanel Party Kelly Bag has all the features of its predecessor, but not without a few updates.
Particularly, the 2023 iteration sports Chanel’s iconic diamond quilting, whereas the vintage Chanel Party Kelly doesn’t. The new Chanel Party Kelly Bag also arrives with the additional leather and chain strap that allows for extra wear options, incl. shoulder and crossbody carry. Keep in mind, however, that the strap on the bag is not removable.
It’s also worth mentioning that unlike the original Chanel Party Kelly bag which uses gold-plated hardware, the relaunched iteration uses gold-colored metal instead (that’s a bummer, though Chanel hasn’t used gold-plated hardware in years).
Sizes & Prices
The new Chanel Party Kelly Bag is also going to be offered in two sizes. The smaller size is expected to be a part of Chanel’s small leather goods line, measuring at about 3.2” x 4.9” x 1.5” and will come priced at $3,000. The larger version measures at around 5.1” x 7.4” x 2.7” and has a retail price of $4,400.
Actually, you may have spotted the larger iteration of the bag being carried by Margo Robbie during the Barbie movie’s press tour. Specifically, on one occasion she was spotted carrying the bag in black and on the other, in coral pink color. And that’s the colors we are expecting to see the bag arrive in. We hope for more options though. Same applies to the materials, which for now looks like there’s only one version of, which is shiny aged calfskin.
Is this Chanel’s New It-bag?
Laid your eyes on the new Chanel Party Kelly? Well, it’s certainly not just you, as the bag appears to have already sold out during the pre-sale at Chanel. Hence why there has been a lot of talk online about it becoming the next it-bag from Chanel. And truly, the new Party Kelly has all characteristics of an it-bag. I mean, just think about it. Vintage versions of the bag are still popular today. The price point is somewhat reasonable (yes, $4,400 is still a lot to pay for a bag, but it’s considerably less than one would have to pay for a Classic Flap). Not even to mention that the bag is now associated with one of the most successful movies of all time (Barbie). See it take social media by storm when it launches! Btw, the bag is expected to launch any day from now with Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection.
What are your thoughts on Chanel’s Party Kelly? Do you like the new version of the bag better than the vintage one? Let’s chat in the comments below!
