Chanel Reviews: Petite Shopping Tote and Wallet on Chain

Although handbags can "make" or complete an outfit, I rarely show them on my blog. I have a very small collection -maybe 4 to 5 total- so you guys would surely get sick of seeing them! After college I purged all of my bags (many of them awkwardly-sized) and started fresh. I wanted to invest carefully in pieces that were beautiful and timeless, that were suitable for my size, and most importantly - were functional.

 

Video review:

1. Petite Shopping Tote (PST) 9" width x 9" height x 3" depth

Beautiful, classic tote - but for reasons mentioned in the video, is not too functional for me.

2. Wallet on Chain (WOC) - 7" length x 5" height x 1" depth

This bag wasn't even on my radar until I discovered (non-petite) Anh of 9to5chic. She always looks effortlessly polished, and her WOC makes frequent appearances in outfits for all sorts of occasions. The WOC satisfies all of my requirements. It can be worn as a:

-long shoulder bag

- clutch

- double-chained purse; or

- cross-body bag

Dress: J.Crew paisley sheath sz 0P (altered)

Suede Booties: Adrienne Vittadini "Adam"
YSL Arty Ring in Turquoise, sz 5 (taped)

I purchased both of these pre-owned, from ladies in Boston. I don't discriminate against pre-owned Chanel as long as it's in excellent condition and comes with all the original packaging (box, dustbag, tags, auth card). I have plenty of other things to spend the money saved on. I got a few questions on YT asking about the current retail prices, and honestly I'm not sure. The Purse Forum is a good resource for questions like that.

Here is an oldie but goodie from Alterations Needed on the East/West and classic medium flap. I'm interested in getting a taupe or colorful small flap next, but the original small size seems hard to come by these days.

Readers - What is your favorite go-to handbag?

Chanel Reviews: Petite Shopping Tote and Wallet on Chain

Although handbags can "make" or complete an outfit, I rarely show them on my blog. I have a very small collection -maybe 4 to 5 total- so you guys would surely get sick of seeing them! After college I purged all of my bags (many of them awkwardly-sized) and started fresh. I wanted to invest carefully in pieces that were beautiful and timeless, that were suitable for my size, and most importantly - were functional.

 

Video review:

1. Petite Shopping Tote (PST) 9" width x 9" height x 3" depth

Beautiful, classic tote - but for reasons mentioned in the video, is not too functional for me.

2. Wallet on Chain (WOC) - 7" length x 5" height x 1" depth

This bag wasn't even on my radar until I discovered (non-petite) Anh of 9to5chic. She always looks effortlessly polished, and her WOC makes frequent appearances in outfits for all sorts of occasions. The WOC satisfies all of my requirements. It can be worn as a:

-long shoulder bag

- clutch

- double-chained purse; or

- cross-body bag

Dress: J.Crew paisley sheath sz 0P (altered)

Suede Booties: Adrienne Vittadini "Adam"
YSL Arty Ring in Turquoise, sz 5 (taped)

I purchased both of these pre-owned, from ladies in Boston. I don't discriminate against pre-owned Chanel as long as it's in excellent condition and comes with all the original packaging (box, dustbag, tags, auth card). I have plenty of other things to spend the money saved on. I got a few questions on YT asking about the current retail prices, and honestly I'm not sure. The Purse Forum is a good resource for questions like that.

Here is an oldie but goodie from Alterations Needed on the East/West and classic medium flap. I'm interested in getting a taupe or colorful small flap next, but the original small size seems hard to come by these days.

Readers - What is your favorite go-to handbag?

Petite Lookbook: Cropped Jacket & Cuffed Shorts

Being so petite, I feel like I can push the limits with hemlines without crossing into "trashy" land. Two of my favorite wardrobe pieces are the cropped jacket and short shorts. These high-waisted shorts have become one of my favorite things from H&M, for only $25. They weren't short enough to my liking, so I even had my tailors widen the cuff and bring up the length for $15.

I always refrained from doing the shorts with tights thing, thinking it would be too trendy for me. Once I tried it, though, I fell in love! And now that I'm finally comfortable with the look, winter is about to be over...bummer!

 

Jacket: Banana Republic Cropped Swing Jacket in 00P

Shorts: H&M divided sz 2

Booties: Calvin Klein sz 6

Bag: Chanel Petite Shopping Tote

Shop this look in petite-friendly sizes:

The Cropped Jacket:
1. INC Cropped Knit Jacket in XS - I was a little hesitant about sharing this since it's from such a mom store, Macy's, but it is just so cute. Although it is a womens XS, I feel like the ponte knit and cropped style may make it petite-friendly.
2. Express Pleated-Front Cropped Jacket in 00 - so little and chic!
3. Ann Taylor Ruffle Collar Jacket in P00 - on sale for nearly half off. 

The Cuffed Shorts:
1. Bebe Linen Cuffed Shorts in 00 - love these! Pretty pricey for shorts, but I can see myself wearing these neutral-colored shorts all summer long.
2. Forever 21 Linen Cuffed Shorts in XS - the very affordable rendition in gray cross-hatch linen.
3. GapKids Cuffed White Shorts - shorts from the kids department work really well for me. Unlike tops and pants, there's little room for the fit to go wrong on shorts. These little white shorts go up to kids size 18 ... isn't that nuts? That's like a sz 4 in womens!


I don't usually show purses with my outfits because I have a sad little collection (maybe 4 bags total?) and I usually just tote around my big Longchamp. I'm picky when it comes to purses and have been hunting deliberately for 2 specific ones (Marc Jacobs "The Kid" mini stam from '07 and Chanel small or medium flap in gray with silver HW from '08). One day...one day. 

 

Petite Lookbook: Cropped Jacket & Cuffed Shorts

Being so petite, I feel like I can push the limits with hemlines without crossing into "trashy" land. Two of my favorite wardrobe pieces are the cropped jacket and short shorts. These high-waisted shorts have become one of my favorite things from H&M, for only $25. They weren't short enough to my liking, so I even had my tailors widen the cuff and bring up the length for $15.

I always refrained from doing the shorts with tights thing, thinking it would be too trendy for me. Once I tried it, though, I fell in love! And now that I'm finally comfortable with the look, winter is about to be over...bummer!

 

Jacket: Banana Republic Cropped Swing Jacket in 00P

Shorts: H&M divided sz 2

Booties: Calvin Klein sz 6

Bag: Chanel Petite Shopping Tote

Shop this look in petite-friendly sizes:

The Cropped Jacket:
1. INC Cropped Knit Jacket in XS - I was a little hesitant about sharing this since it's from such a mom store, Macy's, but it is just so cute. Although it is a womens XS, I feel like the ponte knit and cropped style may make it petite-friendly.
2. Express Pleated-Front Cropped Jacket in 00 - so little and chic!
3. Ann Taylor Ruffle Collar Jacket in P00 - on sale for nearly half off. 

The Cuffed Shorts:
1. Bebe Linen Cuffed Shorts in 00 - love these! Pretty pricey for shorts, but I can see myself wearing these neutral-colored shorts all summer long.
2. Forever 21 Linen Cuffed Shorts in XS - the very affordable rendition in gray cross-hatch linen.
3. GapKids Cuffed White Shorts - shorts from the kids department work really well for me. Unlike tops and pants, there's little room for the fit to go wrong on shorts. These little white shorts go up to kids size 18 ... isn't that nuts? That's like a sz 4 in womens!


I don't usually show purses with my outfits because I have a sad little collection (maybe 4 bags total?) and I usually just tote around my big Longchamp. I'm picky when it comes to purses and have been hunting deliberately for 2 specific ones (Marc Jacobs "The Kid" mini stam from '07 and Chanel small or medium flap in gray with silver HW from '08). One day...one day. 

 

Petite Lookbook: Classic Black Coat

Outerwear is one of the hardest things to shop for as a petite - and alterations alone can run pretty high. I invest a lot into my outerwear, but I feel like the cost is justified. Cold weather in the Northeast settles in around October and stays until April, so I get tons of wear out of them. Not to mention, a nice coat definitely makes dreary winter days more tolerable : )

Coat: Burberry F/W08 sz 2 (read about alterations here) (2009 version sold here)

Leggings: H&M sz 2

Scarf: Abercrombie cashmere

Bag: Chanel Petite Shopping Tote

Shoes: Target Mossimo nude pumps sz 5.5

Shop winter coats in petite-friendly sizes:

1. The J.Crew Lady Day Coat and Wool-Cashmere Plaza Coat in P0 are still lurking on final sale in numerous colors. I've heard that their coats run smaller than their tops, but cannot vouch for this myself. Price was just lowered today to $150, but wait for EXTRA20 or EXTRA30 if you can.

2. Nordstrom Wool-Blend Walking Coat in Juniors XS is a very inexpensive option. This coat was introduced to me a while back by a reader. There are 90+ reviews giving it an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars, and it should run small since it is juniors sizing.

3. Victoria's Secret Classic Wool Coat in P0, on sale as well. First came across this coat in a thread on the Alterations Needed forum. Per the reviewer (who is a tad bigger than me), the fit was decent, however the quality was not great.

4. Mackage Penelope Coat in XXS. Whenever someone hears that I'm a coat fanatic, they tell me that I have to try Mackage. According to the size chart, an XXS is for women measuring 32-25-34.5, which sounds like a P0 to P2. Any petites have experience with this brand?

This coat went through two rounds of alterations (first done by the retail store, second done by my tailors at Hemmingway). I prefer my coats a little more fitted and the sleeves more slim, but overall I'm quite pleased with the results.

Petite Lookbook: Classic Black Coat

Outerwear is one of the hardest things to shop for as a petite - and alterations alone can run pretty high. I invest a lot into my outerwear, but I feel like the cost is justified. Cold weather in the Northeast settles in around October and stays until April, so I get tons of wear out of them. Not to mention, a nice coat definitely makes dreary winter days more tolerable : )

Coat: Burberry F/W08 sz 2 (read about alterations here) (2009 version sold here)

Leggings: H&M sz 2

Scarf: Abercrombie cashmere

Bag: Chanel Petite Shopping Tote

Shoes: Target Mossimo nude pumps sz 5.5

Shop winter coats in petite-friendly sizes:

1. The J.Crew Lady Day Coat and Wool-Cashmere Plaza Coat in P0 are still lurking on final sale in numerous colors. I've heard that their coats run smaller than their tops, but cannot vouch for this myself. Price was just lowered today to $150, but wait for EXTRA20 or EXTRA30 if you can.

2. Nordstrom Wool-Blend Walking Coat in Juniors XS is a very inexpensive option. This coat was introduced to me a while back by a reader. There are 90+ reviews giving it an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars, and it should run small since it is juniors sizing.

3. Victoria's Secret Classic Wool Coat in P0, on sale as well. First came across this coat in a thread on the Alterations Needed forum. Per the reviewer (who is a tad bigger than me), the fit was decent, however the quality was not great.

4. Mackage Penelope Coat in XXS. Whenever someone hears that I'm a coat fanatic, they tell me that I have to try Mackage. According to the size chart, an XXS is for women measuring 32-25-34.5, which sounds like a P0 to P2. Any petites have experience with this brand?

This coat went through two rounds of alterations (first done by the retail store, second done by my tailors at Hemmingway). I prefer my coats a little more fitted and the sleeves more slim, but overall I'm quite pleased with the results.