A Chanel handbag made mostly from mesh, sequins and glass pearls has gone on sale for $22,700, nearly double the price of the standard leather version of the same bag, and shoppers online are furious. One commenter summed up the mood: 'Luxury without limits eventually stops being luxurious.'
To justify the cost, Chanel frames the bag as wearable art. Hand-embroidered with floral motifs and glass beads by Maison Montex, one of Chanel's specialised Maisons d'art ateliers, the piece borrows its delicate palette directly from Impressionist paintings. Yet critics remain unimpressed, with one commenter summing up the mood: 'Luxury without limits eventually stops being luxurious.'
Why Buyers Say the Mesh Flap 'Looks Cheap'
The bag in question appears in Chanel's current Fall/Winter 2026 lineup. What has people upset is what it is made from: mesh, sequins, glass pearls and gold-coloured metal, rather than the leather or solid hardware that usually command a five-figure fee.
One commenter described the materials as glass pearls, plastic sequins and gold-plated brass, and asked why that costs five figures.
Another said the decoration looked closer to cheap novelty merchandise than couture. A third pointed to durability, saying the gold-coloured metal wears thin within about a year.
How Chanel Prices Doubled in Six Years
The bigger picture explains the reaction. Industry trackers including PurseBlog and Sotheby's show the standard medium Classic Flap rising from $5,800 in 2019 to $11,700 today, nearly doubling in under seven years, with three price increases in 2021 alone.
Chanel's own fashion president, Bruno Pavlovsky, once told the trade paper WWD that price rises become a problem 'when the quality doesn't match the cost'. Critics online are using that line against a bag priced at almost double the leather version, for materials many see as less hard-wearing.
Adding fuel to the fire, Chanel recently scrubbed public pricing for high-tier pieces from its official site, replacing standard tags with 'Price upon request'. While intended to project haute couture exclusivity, critics see it as an attempt to shield aggressive prices from public scrutiny.
Chanel vs. Hermès: Who Wins on Resale?
Hermès always comes up in these debates, and the figures explain why. Birkin and Kelly bags, Hermès's best-known styles, have gained around 14.2% in value each year over recent decades, per Baghunter research, and often resell for 80 to 120% of their original cost.
Chanel's Classic Flap does well too, typically holding 80 to 110% of retail price, but experts broadly agree it doesn't hold value as well as Hermès, especially with seasonal, heavily decorated styles like this one.
Several commenters said they would rather save $22,000 for a Hermès bag than spend it on a Chanel trend piece.
Is Chanel Losing Its Most Loyal Fans?
Not everyone online sided against Chanel. Some said price is a matter of taste, and that in luxury fashion, exclusivity matters more than materials, with one person writing there's nothing wrong with the cost 'if the price equals quality'. Others said they will keep buying Chanel, just more selectively.
Whether exquisite Montex embroidery can bridge the gap between artisan heritage and consumer fatigue remains to be seen. As Chanel replaces public tags with 'Price upon request', hiding the numbers won't blur the line for long. The house's next price rise will force clients to decide if they are still buying timeless heirlooms, or simply being priced out of the brand's legacy.
