CHANEL is timeless and exclusive and this comes with a price tag. Therefore many people want to enjoy their CHANEL bag as long as possible. However, a well-loved CHANEL can get some stains and/or discoloration after use. Therefore painting or dyeing a CHANEL vintage has become a new trend in the market. Of course, this comes with some pros and cons. Can you call a CHANEL vintage still a real CHANEL vintage after it has been re-dyed or re-coloured? We tell you everything about the pros and cons and how to recognize if your CHANEL has gotten a makeover. Keep reading!

Why is this becoming such a trend? 
As mentioned before, people want to enjoy their CHANEL as long as possible. They would like to give the exclusive designer piece a new life or restyled look. Covering up stains and recoloring parts of the whole bag.

But CHANEL bags are also often dyed by traders in order to earn more money. After all, an old CHANEL with stains will sell less than a bag that looks brand new. A vintage CHANEL bag in a rare, but popular colour can sell very well. That is why, for example, traders transform a “boring” beige bag into a fresh light blue bag.

The third reason for this upcoming trend is variation. Maybe you love the model and details of the bag but would like to have it in your favourite colour. But what a pity, that colour is not available on the market. So you dye it yourself or start your online hunt for a re-dyed/re-coloured bag.

The cons
1. Wear-sensitivity
Wear from use will be more visible on a painted CHANEL bag than on a CHANEL bag in its original condition. Depending on the paint (technique) used while re-dyeing or re-colouring, the paint will be applied as a layer on the leather. When applying the original colour of the bag, the leather has been dyed before the bag is put together. What does this mean? In case a painted CHANEL bag wears or gets damaged, the original colour will become visible. If that colour is different from the new colour, the damage will be more noticeable.

2. Flexibility
Dyeing can make the leather stiffer and harder. The soft lambskin that CHANEL uses for its bags is especially sensitive to this. The paint may even crack or flake off. This happens if the paint layer is too thick or hard. The paint must be flexible enough to move with the movements of the leather, for example when opening the flap of the bag.

3. Stains
This depends of course on the paint that has been used. The paint could cause stains on your clothes when using the bag. 

4 The look says it all 
It could be the case that the re-colouring has been done that great, that you can barely notice it. However, if you look close by or in case they didn’t paint it well, you will see there is an additional layer on the bag (especially with light colours). This detracts from the beautiful quality and craftsmanship with which a CHANEL bag is made.

5. Condition & Value
Last but not least (and unfortunately the truth): a painted CHANEL bag is no longer in its original condition. Of course, it is still an authentic CHANEL designer piece, but it is no longer the bag as CHANEL marketed it.

Let’s talk about the value. Even though the value of a dyed bag (if it has been done properly) can increase, the value of a painted bag will always be a lot less than a bag in good, original condition. This is due to the disadvantages and visibility of the paint. 

How to recognize a re-dyed or re-colored CHANEL bag 
We can imagine that after reading all of this you became super curious to know how to recognize if your CHANEL has gotten a makeover or not and we understand you prefer to figure this out before buying the bag online or face-to-face from a seller. Luckily there are some indications to look at. Let’s dig in!

1. Lining
   You can check whether the colour of the bag (outside) matches the colour of the lining. The black classic flap bag always has a burgundy red lining. The other models have a burgundy red or black lining (this is if the outside of the bag is black). Are you looking to buy a coloured classic flap bag? In this case, the lining will always have the same colour as the outside of the bag.
   
   
2. The zipper
   An easy indicator to look at is the zipper. Why? The zipper will always have to be the same colour as the bag. Looking to buy a red CHANEL bag and you spot a white zipper? This indicates that the bag probably was originally white.
   
   
3. The stitching
   It is recommended to have a close look at the stitching. If a bag is being dyed, it is almost impossible to avoid getting paint on the stitching. This is why the stitching often reveals whether a bag has been dyed or not. In this case, the stitching holes are often filled with paint or you can notice a layer of paint on the stitching.
   
   
4. The finishing touch
   Painting is a precision job. If you look very closely, you can often spot the paint. Focus for example on the rings where the chain goes through. You have to paint very neatly around them, to not being able to spot the paint. Buying online? Have a look at a close-up picture.
   
   
5. Shine, shine shine 
   It’s hard to imitate that beautiful shine from the lams leather of CHANEL. A re-colored bag will have a much more matte look.
   
   
6. Feel the leather
   This one may be a bit hard to check when you purchase online. However, instead of touching the leather, you can also see sometimes whether the bag is a bit more stiff. You may even spot cracks in the paint. The original feels soft and flexible. 

As you can see, re-coloring a CHANEL designer piece can have advantages and disadvantages. We understand that you consider painting it when your beautiful CHANEL has some stains and discoloration. We recommend putting your bag in the hands of a professional.