The Chanel Boy Bag

Sale PSA: Cole Haan espadrille wedge sandals (I just bought a pair to try out as they look quite comfortable), now 33% off, a very pretty dipped back floaty maxi dress from Free People, now 30% off, and a Mackage leather moto jacket in a great “khaki” shade (perfect for fall), now 35% off.

Neiman Marcus is also having 25% off of their “Last Call” sale. My picks are Lanvin metallic block heel sandals, now 67% off, DVF Perry knit dresses, now 55% off, and a lovely and versatile leather jacket in gray or black, now under $130.

Today I’ll be reviewing a recent purchase of mine – the Chanel Boy bag, in black caviar leather. I know that many of you like really detailed reviews, so I’ve tried to be as thorough as possible.

Even though I’ve always admired them on others, I never thought I’d end up with a Chanel Boy for myself. I just didn’t feel the “must have it” draw to them, so I happily just window shopped these bags while my wallet stayed nice and safe.

However, a little while ago I ended up falling in love with a Chanel Boy from the Paris-Dallas collection. I know that this particular season wasn’t a favorite by many, but I love Westerns (hello, Lonesome Dove!) and thus really enjoyed this collection with its great details like the sheriff star and American flag. I ordered a bag to be mailed to me, but when I opened it, it was pretty beat up. I was so disappointed! By that time though, I had fallen in love with the style. I thought that the Boy would be the perfect, versatile every day bag to use cross body when needed. When I saw that the fall season would have a sturdy caviar option, it was game over!

And here we go – my first Chanel Boy bag! The material is a sturdy black caviar (the same as what you find on the classic flaps). The hardware is ruthenium (a distressed metal, darker than silver). My sales associate referred to this size as the “old” medium. Dimensions in inches: 9.8 x 5.9 x 3.

Here I wanted to share some details of what a brand new version should look like with original stickers, though I’m not sure if all new bags would have these on. In my opinion the ruthenium metal is pretty “vintage” looking so I wouldn’t have minded if my bag came without stickers.

Some details – in my experience the lock (you just push on the two sides and then lift the flap) has been very easy to use.

The side loop and adjustable strap. Since I’m a shortie, I’ve never adjusted the strap to be longer.

The inside of the Boy. Just a large compartment with a single slip pocket. I appreciated that the Boy, unlike Chanel’s classic flaps, didn’t have two flaps as I’ve never used that second flap.

You will notice that the Boy is lined with fabric, which I was a bit peeved about given the high price point. However I’ve never had an issue with any of my fabric interior bags, and it does reduce the weight, which was important for me as I bought this as an all around comfortable cross body bag.

Also, you can see the inside of the top flap of this Boy is caviar leather. I have seen other Boys in calfskin/lambskin, and this top inner flap area (where the lock is) had scratches. I think these scratches are inevitable over time and I didn’t mind them. However if you are very OCD about scratches, I might consider the caviar leather version.

The “old” medium size fits all of my essentials, but not any more than that. I would describe the space inside a Boy in this size as maybe a tad more than the classic Chanel medium sized flap. It’s definitely enough for me, but I do take the steps when using this bag of having a smaller wallet and using a soft pouch for my sunglasses instead of hard. Those two steps create plenty of space for me. I dislike “jamming” a bunch of items into bags because then I can never find them!

Inside: my phone, sunglasses, smaller wallet, pouch with keys, my work badge etc, some loose makeup.

A note about storage. I’m usually pretty lax about how I store my bags (a friend and mega Hermes enthusiast uttered a horrified gasp when she saw one of my Kellys wedged up against my shoe cabinet when she was over), but so far I’ve been more careful with the Boy. I’ve heard of the heavy chain leaving marks on delicate lambskin when stored with the chain pressing against it, so usually I’ve been making sure to keep the chain away from the bag when I store it. Chanel also provides some felt protectors with the Boy to help with this.

However, I do feel that the caviar material would probably offer more protection against marks from the chain than other materials.

All right – now onto some modeling pictures! There are three basic ways (at least that I know of) to wear the Boy. So you can have an idea of how the bag hits versus height, I am a very short 5’1.

The first style: single chain, hanging off of shoulder. This is a super comfortable way to wear the Boy. I do think if I were a few inches taller, it would start to look more proportional. I can live with how it hangs however and do wear the Boy like this often, especially if I have heels on.

The second style: on the shoulder, chain doubled up. Another comfortable way to wear the Boy. In this configuration, the Boy hangs similarly to Chanel’s classic styles such as the classic flap and reissue. I know that some ladies with this bag have had the issue of the leather strap falling off – however I haven’t experienced this. Maybe as I have wider shoulders.

The third style: cross body. My favorite! I love being hands free A really comfortable way to wear the Boy. I think this hits even a shortie like me proportionally so I am very happy with the length of the Boy’s strap overall.

Overall, I love my Chanel Boy. I haven’t regretted the bag at all and have enjoyed wearing it for both casual events and at night going out for drinks. The wider strap makes it super comfortable, and it’s incredibly easy to swap from single strap, to doubled, to cross body. I just wish I had purchased it earlier.

As a shorter gal, I do wish that the strap was perhaps an inch or so shorter. However, it’s a minor issue. Also, the price of course…I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a Chanel price tag and said, “Wow, that sure is cheap!” That’s about it for any negatives. Otherwise, I give the Boy very high marks.

If you’re looking for a convertible cross body bag like the Chanel Boy at a different price point, here are some other options. Each of these have convertible straps like the Boy (my pick is the Valentino on the right, it can even be used as a clutch).

(left to right)
Rebecca Minkoff (comes with great reviews to boot), $195
Saint Laurent (also comes in a very nice croc effect version with silver hardware), $1290
Valentino (my absolute favorite, love that it can also be used as a super cool clutch!), $2145

Have you tried the Chanel Boy bag? What are your thoughts?

Also, if you want a Chanel Boy and need a good sales associate, feel free to email me at [email protected] as I am always happy to share!