Chanel: The Rare and The Wacky

Although Chanel is, still today, most famous for being the very definition of elegance and chic, Karl Lagerfeld has certainly not lost his sense of playfulness and humor when it comes to creating novelty in each collection. I have a little file in my inspiration folder where I tuck away Chanel's most unusal and/or wacky accessories. Some I would love to own, and some I wouldn't be caught dead in but would likely appreciate on someone else. I would definitely lean more in the direction of the unusual over the wacky. Perhaps, I'd wear the needlepoint tote if I found it for a good price. But mostly, they just make me smile.

This is a recent limited edition from the Paris-Moscow collection. I am such a sucker for anything military-inspired, and I think the bright red is so chic. 

I love the handcrafted feeling of these jeans with the crocheted trim. I usually wouldn't wear such a big, obvious logo, but since these are obviously vintage (you can tell by the cut) I actually think its funny here.

I'm surprised we haven't seen Rihanna wearing these Chanel comb/sunglasses yet.

Maybe it's just because black and white stripes are the big look of the season right now, but I think this classic bag in the bold yet classic stripe is very chic.

I'd never seen this shape or the smaller scale quilting before, and I LOVE it!! Of all the things on this bag, this is what I covet the most.

I wouldn't wear these myself, but I girl in my freshman year art class at Brown had these boots, and I was obsessed with staring at her from across the room. I just couldn't believe that someone would wear Chanel boots in college!

I love nearly anything that is needlepointed and crafty-looking, so you can imagine how I love something that is needlepointed, crafty-looking AND Chanel. It's probably one of those things that I wouldn't carry very often but would make me happy when I saw it hanging in my closet. 

I'm always on the fence about suspenders. I feel a bit affected at the idea of wearing them, but then love it when I see them on someone else. I'd especially like to see Alexa Chung rockin' these.

A metallic metal clutch is such a chic thing to wear in the evening. I have a Calvin Klein one in textured copper that I carry again and again. I love stampings on this one, and the fact that the other side just has the hammered quality without the markings, in case you want to be more discreet.

As most of you know, my daughter's name is Coco. I would love get this bag for her, but I probably wouldn't. It just doesn't feel appropriate for a child or even a teenager to carry a Chanel bag. 

I have a thing about not carrying bags that are cumbersome to carry, and I certainly wouldn't employ a wristlet, but I do love this as an object. It would look great on my dressing table or on a bookshelf. 

I love how classic this bracelet it. It reminds me of the chunkier ones Celine recently did.

God I love the shape of this backpack - so unusual and with beautiful hardware.

The hand-carved work on this pin is very pretty. It would make a great ring.

The ombre coloration on this 2.55 would be so great on someone, just not me. 

Genius.