Rihanna has never been particularly interested in carrying the obvious handbag, and one of her most unusual Chanel finds proves just how deep her vintage collection goes.
Photos that have resurfaced online show the singer carrying Chanel's distinctive Twin Bags, a two-piece design made up of black quilted handbags in different sizes that can be attached together. The photographs were originally taken during a dinner outing in Los Angeles on 21 March 2025, rather than during a recent 2026 appearance.
The accessory is not simply two Chanel bags that Rihanna decided to layer herself. Vintage examples identify the design as Chanel's Black Lambskin Classic Single Flap Double Twin Bags from Fall 1994, making the set more than three decades old.
Rihanna Gives the 1994 Chanel Design a Second Life
For the 21 March outing, Rihanna teamed the vintage Chanel set with an oversized dark Balenciaga parka, loose dark-wash jeans and pointed burgundy heels.
Harper's Bazaar identified the jeans as Citizens of Humanity and reported that Rihanna wore a burgundy top underneath the jacket, along with statement jewellery and dark-framed sunglasses with orange-tinted lenses. Vogue similarly identified the outerwear as Balenciaga and described her footwear as burgundy pumps.
Rihanna with rare Chanel Twin Bag from the 1990s pic.twitter.com/VuJwLLxsyE
— HARDEST FIT PICS (@HardestFitPics) September 10, 2026
Against those deliberately oversized pieces, the connected Chanel bags became an especially noticeable detail. One bag hung below the other, turning what could have been a conventional black quilted handbag into something closer to an elaborate double-bag accessory.
It was not even Rihanna's first outing with the set that week. Two days earlier, on 19 March 2025, she was photographed carrying the same Twin Bags to dinner at Giorgio Baldi. On that occasion, she combined them with a vintage Chanel baseball jersey, a navy pinstripe Yves Saint Laurent blazer, baggy jeans, Puma sneakers and a New York Yankees cap.
The Chanel Twin Bags Date to Fall 1994
The design's provenance can be traced more precisely than simply calling it a '1990s Chanel bag'. A vintage example listed through specialist seller Vintage Couture identifies the set as the Fall 1994 Black Lambskin Classic Single Flap Double Twin Bags. The same example has also been documented by 1stDibs. Both describe a medium and small quilted lambskin bag with leather handles, gold-tone CC locks and maroon leather interiors.
According to those listings, the smaller bag measures roughly 5.5 by 4.5 inches, while the larger measures around 10 by 6 inches. The two are joined using a gold-tone Chanel connector, allowing the owner to wear them as the recognisable Twin set or separate them into individual handbags.
That makes the piece markedly different from the conventional Classic Flap format, despite borrowing the quilting and turn-lock details closely associated with Chanel.
The design is also genuinely expensive on the secondary market, although there is no reliable public evidence establishing what Rihanna herself paid. One documented Fall 1994 set has been listed at around £8,900 ($12,000), while contemporary coverage of Rihanna's bags placed comparable resale examples broadly between about £5,900 and £9,600 ($8,000–$13,000). Those figures should therefore be treated as resale references rather than Rihanna's purchase price.
Rihanna Has a History of Hunting Down Vintage Bags
The Twin Bags fit into a much broader pattern in Rihanna's wardrobe. Vogue has previously documented her collection of archival handbags spanning several fashion houses, including vintage Chanel, Fendi, Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Among her Chanel pieces, she has previously carried a 1990s orange terry-cloth camera bag, while her other vintage finds have included Tom Ford-era Gucci bags and limited-edition Louis Vuitton designs.
Your mother with her 1994 Chanel Parent Child Purse https://t.co/P3nCfkxRbs pic.twitter.com/HjkM87LvBh
— DraftFits (@DraftFits) September 10, 2026
Her interest in hard-to-find pieces helps explain why the 1994 Twin Bags feel particularly suited to her wardrobe. Instead of treating a vintage Chanel as something that needs to be styled conservatively, Rihanna paired the highly collectable piece with oversized denim, sportswear-influenced separates and dramatic accessories.
More than 30 years after its original release, the Twin Bag remains unusual enough to stop people scrolling, but Rihanna's styling shows why the most interesting archival accessories do not necessarily need to look like museum pieces.
Sometimes, two Chanel bags really are better than one.
