For good reason, the Chanel jumbo classic flap bag in its classic 12 inch size has been a cult favorite amongst Chanel lovers. This popular classic model has all the features of the iconic 11.12 classic flap in a more practical size for daily wear. Chanel loyalists love the versatility of the wearability (crossbody to shoulder bag) and its ability to carry more than just a wallet and keys.

While the 10 inch Chanel medium classic flap has not changed much at all since its inception in the mid-1980s, the jumbo has seen many notable style changes over the years – the most recent major refresh being in 2010 with the addition of the second “double” flap, the year this model had its most significant jump in price hike to date – something around $900.

Today I’ll review a brief chronology of the Chanel jumbo classic flap in the making and the major style edits that came with it.

The nineties, especially the early to mid-nineties, was a boom for anything Chanel and turnlock clasp, whether it be their turnlock-themed jewelry line, and especially their quilted classic flaps. And like the jewelry, Karl Lagerfeld decided to go big and bold, with the oversized turnlock CC in 24k gold plated hardware. In the beginning, the 13-inch Maxi was produced before the jumbo, around 1992. With the 13 inch size, and the much taller frame, it looked giant compared to the medium classic, and everything about her was giant – from the oversized CCs, to the chunky, thick chains; even the grommets were giant, washer-sized grommets with built in screw functionality compared to the thinner ring-like grommets of its smaller classic counterparts.

This now-famous vintage maxi model only came in lambskin for diamond quilted – the caviar counterpart is slightly larger and was only made in chevron.

A 1992 classic maxi flap with oversized hardware
 

Fun fact: All vintage Chanel jumbo models, unlike their maxi or medium counterparts, were made with an edge stitching on the top flap – similar to “sellier” for Hermès bags. All lambskin maxi, medium, small and mini classics (not caviar) were made with stitching hidden on the inside.

Chanel Classic Mademoiselle Jumbo with vertical quilts from 1993. Note the chunky grommets! 

Slowly, after 1994, Chanel started introducing the jumbo size classic with diamond quilts. Most vintage caviar jumbo flaps were produced in 1995, in conjunction with the production of other signature turnlock pieces in its jewelry lines. In addition, other variations of the jumbo were released – horizontal quilt, patent, and of course, different fabrics and canvases. This style was produced all the way through 1998.

Horizontal jumbo classic caviar flaps from 1995 

Then, in 1996, Chanel introduced yet another style jumbo flap, and both styles were produced simultaneously for a year. Personally, I believe this specific jumbo was not made to be a classic style, because the interiors were always black (as opposed to burgundy like the other jumbos and maxis), and they only made this style in black. This style was produced only for about one year, until 1997.

The ‘intermediary vintage jumbo’ was first released in 1996 and had thinner chain, an in-between size and thickness CC turnlock, and thinner grommets like the medium classic flap. I’ve only seen this in black with black interior and beige with beige interior, and this model was produced simultaneously alongside the classic oversized CC jumbos above, which makes me believe it’s possible that this deviation was considered more of a fashion bag. All the while, the oversized CC versions below were still being produced (until 1998).

The late 90s was a transitional time for Chanel – within one full serial number series (5 million series), they had three (3) different styles of the hologram sticker. It was also during this time that the style of the classic jumbo flap changed again – to the CC turnlock clasp that was much smaller than its predecessor – the exact size turnlock that was used for the medium, small and mini classic flaps. Still, the larger, chunkier chain was used along with the washer-like grommets. (While this looks very similar to the 1996-1997 transitional model above, the hardware as you can see matches the “other” jumbo classic produced at the same time with the chunky grommets and straps). Later in 1999, silver hardware was introduced to this model. This model was produced for six years.

This article was initially shared with PurseBop in September 2022.