Peony Lim blogger wearing a Chanel during Paris Fashion Week on March 7, 2012 in Paris, France.
Clutches, which you had to hold in your hands, and wristlets were popular purse styles in the first half the twentieth century. Chanel favored ease of movement instead, and she designed the now-iconic quilted handbag with a chain strap that allowed its wearer to move about hands-free. Known as the 2.55, for its creation in February 1955, the bag has become a status symbol for ‘It’ girls and practical working women alike.