The Chanel Spring/Summer 2022 show was easily one of the season’s most upbeat presentations – models bounded down the runway in fun, vintage-tinged swimsuits, floaty chiffon dresses and pastel tweed suits, complete with sly winks and smiles.
READ MORE: Jennie Kim, Lily-Rose Depp And Other Stars Spotted At Chanel’s S/S ’22 Show
That playful vibe is something rarely seen in today’s typically sullen fashion shows; Chanel artistic director Virginie Viard was in a nostalgic mood. “I used to love the sound of flashbulbs going off at the shows in the eighties, when the models were on a raised runway. I wanted to recapture that emotion,” she said in a statement.
That fun, irreverent spirit is perhaps best captured in the Maison’s key accessory for the season: the new Chanel 22 bag, which takes its name after the year of its creation.
The Chanel Spring/Summer 2022 show was a highlight of the season for its fun atmosphere and effortlessly youthful designs.
And much in line with Chanel’s tradition of naming bags after key events in the brand’s rich history, the number 22 has special significance within the Chanel lexicon. Cue the N°22 fragrance, which was created in 1922 and was the house’s second perfume after its iconic firstborn, the N°5.
The Chanel 22 is quite a marked change from its brethren, the Chanel 19; a hobo-style number, the 22 is a much more pliant and cushy design (thanks to the extremely supple calfskin).
READ MORE: Watch Video: The Chanel 19 Is The Next Designer Bag You Want
If the Chanel 19 is that cool, insouciant sophisticate, perhaps the 22 bag, with its fluid shape, can be thought of as its more free-spirited, liberal sister. Or rather, she’s that woman who’s constantly on the go who needs a stylish bag that’ll actually fit the things that people carry around on a day-to-day basis (no, those Instagrammable micro bags won’t cut it).
A casual bag for women on the go.
The Chanel 22 (available in small, medium and large) comes with all the features synonymous with the house including the quilted leather and metal chain interlaced with leather, as well as drawstrings to make sure things don’t spill out (thoughtful Chanel practicality, we say) and a detachable interior pouch.
The most visible features, however, are the Chanel plaque on the exterior, composed of gold or lacquered metal letters and a sizeable medallion dangling from the straps like a collectable coin.
The free-spirited actress Margaret Qualley is one of the three fresh faces of the Chanel 22 campaign.
Model and Chanel face Lily-Rose Depp, and actresses Margaret Qualley and Gossip Girl star Whitney Peak are the fresh-faced ambassadors Chanel has chosen for the bag. Their appearance further reinforces the impression of a bag designed to give contemporary audiences (regardless of the era) freedom of movement – a tenet at the heart of Gabrielle Chanel’s philosophy.
READ MORE: Margaret Qualley Stars In Chanel’s Seriously Chic Spring/Summer 2020 Eyewear Campaign
“(The Chanel 22) is so great because it’s incredibly sensible. Gabrielle Chanel was all about practicality and this is a practical bag for 2022, it even fits a laptop… (it’s ideal) for a trip to the park (it fits all the books you’d like to bring), a date, the airport, to work, to get ice cream (and so on),” said Qualley.
“The perfect day with this bag would be one spent with my loved ones, a day with no commitments but hopefully lots of chatting, cuddling, walking, eating and laughing.”
And given the crazy times we live in, who can really ask for more than that? Below, a closer look at the new Chanel 22.
