I do NOT baby my bags. At all.

Luxury lovers would oust me if they saw the way I maneuvered with these coveted pieces.

These belles have been:

Tossed repeatedly in the back of cars
Stuffed in tiny chartered plane overhead bins and the most “fatal” offense:
Falling out of a moving jeep during a safari tour in South Africa.

As the champagne cork popped my startled seatmate jumped. The sudden jolt unexpectedly pushed my arm which tossed both the bottle of champagne and Chanel tote from my grasp.

It was then that I had less than a second to make a paramount decision:
Should I save my Chanel tote or the bottle of champagne?

My heart broke the moment my Chanel tote was ejected from the vehicle. But I reassured myself that anything touching the ground of the Motherland is a blessed. Besides, where could I have possibly gotten another bottle of champagne surrounded by nothing but the Big 5 had I let the bottle drop?

I purchased my beloved Chanel caviar leather tote (similar totes linked below) when I was converted to a fulltime employee. It was my “I made it” professional bag. Despite having a Louis Vuitton Neverfull, I’d always been partial to Chanel.

After years of overpacking: laptops, liters of water, magazines, and more, my Chanel tote finally started to show extreme wear and tear.

Because of its rarity and sentiment, I dared not depart with it via the resell market.

Instead, I searched for a skilled craftsman to revive mon amour.

After extensive research, I located a trusted craftsman and nervously shipped my beloved tote via UPS to be restored.

Not only did I want the lining replaced (which had been torn when I put a pair of heels inside), I also wanted to have the exterior refreshed. The grandest transformation that I desired was a strap replacement. But not just any strap replacement, I had no desire to retain the caviar leather straps (which I stretched to capacity overstuffing my bag.)

Instead, I wanted Chanel’s signature gold chains.

Was the revitalization worth the cost you ask?

I have never had a bag revived to this magnitude, therefore I am truly uncertain if I paid market value.

Be that as it may, I have fallen in love with my Chanel Caviar leather tote all over again.

This Chanel piece is a classic and I have zero regrets regarding its initial purchase or investing in its repair.

Have you ever had a purse rehabilitated? If so, what was done?

The total cost for my Chanel revitalizing and shipping was four-hundred U.S. dollars. The total repair time took a little over nine-weeks.

Ciao for now 💋

Similar Chanel Totes:

Gold Hardware

Silver Hardware