Why should you buy a vintage Chanel jacket? I mean, really. Chanel offers so many brand-new options each season that is buying old and used seems unnecessary.
Why buy a vintage pre-loved, which is just a fancy word for 2nd hand, when you can buy new? Well, I am here to tell you that you should absolutely, positively consider vintage, pre-loved Chanel for these 7 reasons. Let’s get to it!
1. Vintage Chanel Jacket Is Within Reach
Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the most important reason why you should consider buying vintage Chanel. A vintage Chanel is easier to acquire. Most new Chanel jackets these days are priced around $8000. Many are significantly more than that.
You can buy a vintage Chanel jacket for under $1000. You can get a Chanel jacket from the previous 5-7 years for around $3000. That’s less than half of retail. Here’s one I scored for $800 on eBay.
Many, if not most, older and vintage jackets are well taken care of by their previous owners. Some look like they are barely used. Here is a jacket that I have owned from the year 1999. It is 24 years old! It looks spectacular.
There are no rips, no holes, pulls, nothing. It’s also very clean on the inside. I paid about $2700 for it in 2022. It is a classic Chanel jacket for under $3000. You can’t even get a trendy sweater for that much at Chanel these days.
Yes, it does have one missing button on each sleeve if I am really trying to pick. Other than that, it’s perfect.
2. Environmentally Conscious Choice
Pre-loved fashion is the ultimate statement of putting your money where your mouth is. You already recycle milk cans and carry a water jug around to “save the planet.” Vintage and pre-loved clothing is a natural choice in that evolution.
The clothing industry pollutes the earth so much, and fast fashion ends up in landfills. Here is a Scientific American article discussing the impact of fast fashion on our planet.
If you buy a vintage Chanel jacket, a pre-loved high-end fashion item, you have less free cash available to buy cheap, disposable fashion.
3. It Has The Allure Of Exclusivity
If you spend any time on social media, you will see every influencer, every wife of a Russian oligarch, showing off her boutique purchases from the current season. It’s not even flattering sometimes, which makes me cringe.
Some people, on the other hand, are different. Maybe they don’t want to follow the herd. They are known to be very picky! Only an exclusive Chanel looks exquisite will do.
The Duchess of Sussex, Kate Middleton, looks chic in a vintage Chanel. She can have whatever she wants. She is a literal queen! But she chose a vintage Chanel for its ultimate exclusivity.
I like that. I can relate to that! Can you?
4. The Hunt Is So Much Fun!
Yes, there is a lot of thrill in buying the latest and greatest and easily available when it comes to fashion. Do you know what is more fun? Hunting a specific jacket that’s available nowhere, waiting patiently for years for it to pop up at a sane price, and then boom! Snag it like a ninja!
The hunt for old Chanel is so much fun! It’s a game, to be honest. It’s very gratifying. Wanting something that’s not available and manifesting it in reality has an allure that can’t compare with instant gratification.
My pale pink Chanel was on my wish list for years!! Many came in various sizes but mine. I finally scored it on eBay at a sweet price. Mission accomplished! On to the next one!
5. You Can Own A Chanel Haute Couture
My most prized vintage jacket in sunshine yellow is an haute couture jacket. What’s haute couture? It means that some ultra-wealthy customer got this jacket custom-made, just for her, about 40 years ago!
The unique label and the order number behind it are something you will never see on a jacket in the boutique.
I certainly can’t afford an haute couture Chanel brand new, but owning one and enjoying it for less than $3000 is a great feeling.
6. Exotic Embellishments
Vintage Chanel jackets have 24 kt gold plated buttons! Like the vintage classic flap bags, vintage jackets also have gold-plated buttons. Hence, they have a beautiful warmth to it.
Chanel doesn’t even do a lot of yellow-gold buttons these days. Most are silver tones. Here is my vintage couture Chanel from the 1970s that has beautiful gold-plated buttons.
Here is another picture of my baby pink jacket with an exotic element, namely freshwater pearl trim, generously applied all over the front.
How stunning is this? Such feminine jackets with details that are impossible to find in a new collection.
7. Chanel Jacket Is An Investment
Calling clothing and purses “investment” is a bit cliche and inaccurate, but the Chanel jacket is one of the very few, if not the only clothing item, that appreciates in value.
My Chanel Dubai jacket retailed for around $3800 in 2015. I paid around $2000 in 2018. I saw one on eBay today for $4500 in June 2023.
Imagine reselling a used $30 dress for $35–5 years later. You will be laughed out of the room. They are a dime a dozen out there, and it probably looks like a rag because it was made of cheap materials.
Final Thoughts
Vintage Chanel presents such great value for Chanel lovers and collectors. You get to own a piece of fashion history. You get to own something that very few people have. I hope you will consider buying a vintage Chanel jacket.
