Can one accessory be all things to all people? I didn't always think so, until I started tracking the Chanel 25 bag's rapid ascent to It-item status.
New Chanel accessories tend to start a frenzy, whether they're a variation on the house's cap-toe slingback heels or a surprisingly sexy flat. (A patent leather glove flat has also been inescapable in my fashion editor circle this spring.) But the response to the Chanel 25 bag, which debuted on the Spring 2025 runway at Paris Fashion Week last September, reappeared for Metiers d'Art in December, and arrived in boutiques this spring at last, was like nothing I'd seen before.
For one, it kickstarted a broader cargo bag trend. In all three sizes (small, medium, and large), the Chanel 25's trapezoidal main compartment is bookended by two defined outer pockets, each embellished with gold, double-C hardware. That handy bit of extra storage would make its way to dozens more houses a season later. For another, built-in organization transcended the classic Chanel girl's closet—where ballet flats, quilted leather, and collarless tweed sets are in rotation no matter the season—to appeal to everyone seeking a functional work bag or travel tote in its most luxurious form. Of course, the longtime devotees and very important clients a note for a personal shopper to track it down, too.
Editors lusted over the bag from afar (and one lucky Who What Wear writer got to review it early) until it hit stores. Dua Lipa was the first major name to show off the Chanel 25's appeal in real time. It wasn't an accident: She was tapped to be its face in a global campaign lensed by David Sims. "It’s the perfect kind of bag for me as someone who’s always on the move and likes to carry around everything," the musician said in an interview accompanying the style's release, "especially because it’s got these great pockets for all my favorite things."
She could have left her obsession in front of the camera and in the front row of Chanel's Haute Couture show. (There, she carried the bag with a floor-sweeping cape and a giant hair bow that was a gift to behold.) But she convinced me of her genuine love by carrying it a staggering number of times this spring.
It joined her inner circle on tour in Australia and New Zealand—where Dua packed it in pink, silver, yellow, and black. On the move between shows, she tapped the black and silver versions as an alternative to a basic travel tote. Callum Turner, her fiancé, is often the third wheel to Dua and her Chanel 25 when they go out for dinner in London.
Even when she's grabbing takeout, as she was caught on April 17, she also cashes out with her bag attached to her shoulder. When she said the Chanel 25 bag could carry "everything," she meant it.
Dua Lipa proved the Chanel 25 bag's infinite functionality: There was no situation or outfit she couldn't pair it with. Charli XCX co-signed its range—at Coachella, of all places.
In a press release upon the Chanel 25's release, the house said it was "spacious enough to carry a computer, tablet, phone, treasures and other little secrets." I imagine it's that last group that Charli piled inside for her first weekend at Coachella this year, where she paired her Chanel 25 to boho-chic ruffled dresses and low-slung, club rat maxi skirts. Forget a clear plastic belt bag or a drawstring knapsack. When you're everyone's favorite reference, you deserve a bag they'll want to reference, too. And yes: The bag undoubtedly had room for changes of clothes and snacks for a day partying in the desert.
Each person who picks up the Chanel 25 bag extends the list of places it can go and roles it can play. Really, the bag has enough space to carry someone's entire life, no matter what it looks like—and keep it organized with all those pockets. Model Kelsey Merritt styled the white quilted 25 with jeans and a T-shirt. Aimee Song positioned her black Chanel 25 for transitional spring layering with capri pants and a scarf coat. Mariah Carey coordinated the small black 25 with a ruched mini dress and knee-high boots for—wait for it—"late night grocery shopping" posted to Instagram.
If a Chanel 25 somehow appeared in my closet (I wish!), I'd deploy it like Blackpink star Jennie. She joined Dua Lipa in the Chanel 25's campaign earlier this year, but has exclusively carried the largest version out and about. Decked out in bag charms and clip-on stuffed animals, the 25 is her copilot for international travel. Quilted and gilded in gold chains, it's several levels above a classic under-the-seat travel bag (but just as functional).
Something tells me Chanel 25 sightings are only getting started. I'd love to see Taylor Swift work the bag into her game-day wardrobe, or Beyoncé bring it to her Cowboy Carter tour. I also sense the bag will find fans in female founders, writers, and executives—women with busy lives, varied personal styles, and a need for a bag that can keep up with their schedule.
It's in Chanel's DNA to provide it. Decades before the Chanel 25 bag was even a sketch, Gabrielle Chanel revolutionized handbags by adding a strap allowing her to carry her bag—the quilted flap we now know as the Chanel 2.55—over her shoulder. At the 2.55's debut in 1955, elegant, day-to-day bags that could be carried-hands free were few and far between. Seventy years later, the Chanel 25 is that liberating design's heir apparent: able to travel anywhere and with (almost) anything inside.
