Chanel Business Affinity Bag Review- Chanel’s Best Kept Secret?

This page contains affiliate links – we may receive a commission if you make a purchase using links on this page. This has no extra cost for you.

Chanel Business Affinity Bag Review

Is the Chanel Affinity Bag one of the most underrated Chanel Bags?

Chanel’s Business Affinity Bag is one that doesn’t get a lot of love on the internet, however, we believe that it is one best bags to buy from Chanel. It is not one of Chanel’s Classic Bags, which means it is not guaranteed to be released season after season, but Chanel usually releases it most seasons anyways. It’s kind of a classic without being one. We’re going to go in depth review on the Business Affinity bags including the features of the bag, sizes, pros and cons as well as current prices in 2023.

Features of the Business Affinity

As mentioned earlier, the Chanel Business Affinity bag has a lot of features reminiscent of the Chanel Classic Flaps. It has a quilted flap (previously the bag had a smooth flap and a quilted front of the bag). It also has the classic Chanel turn lock closure. The strap is made of metal intertwined with leather and it features an extra leather part which makes it more comfortable to wear on the shoulder or cross body. We also love that is comes with a top handle and that it has one big pocket on the bag as well as an external zipped pocket on the front (as you open the bag).

Business Affinity Bag Sizes

The Business Affinity handbag comes in 2 sizes: a small and a medium. It has also been released in a backpack form, although that is often not available in all the collections. The bags will unfortunately be affected by a price increase from 2022, however, they’re still one of Chanel’s better priced bags. You can differentiate between the small and the medium at a glance by simply counting the little quilts. The small (or sometimes called mini) has has 1 full diamond quilt on either side of the turn lock and one almost complete quilt whereas the medium has 2 full diamond quilts on either side of the CC turn lock and and a beginning of another quilt. See the picture above for the size difference between the small/mini and the medium. The small is definitely more like a mini bag and the medium, while not very big, fits a lot of daily essentials.

• Business Affinity in the Small Size

The Chanel BA in the small size is more of a mini bag despite the name. Visually it looks very similar to the medium BA, it has all the same features, but it’s just smaller and more appropriate for the minimalists among us. It is fabric lined, so you do have to be careful not to stain the fabric, as it will be harder to clean. It’s great to wear as a crossbody bag as well as held on the top handle for a more elegant look.

Dimensions: 5.5 x 7.5 x 2.8 inches

What fits inside: The small Business Affinity is actually very similar to the Chanel Mini Rectangular, in terms of what fits inside. You’ll be able to fit the following in this handbag:

• A smartphone
• A cardholder
• Keys with a key pouch
• Mask
• 1 or 2 lipsticks
• Gum

Versatility: We think that the small BA is quite versatile because of these reasons. 1. it can be worn multiple ways: on the shoulder, cross-body and held by the top handle. 2. it can easily work from day to night, as long as you don’t need to carry a lot. It also comes in the durable and scratch resistant caviar leather, which means that you don’t need to worry too much about the bag.

Price in 2023: Yes, unfortunately but predictably, the Chanel Business Affinity Bags have recently increased their prices now in 2022. The small Business Affinity Bag now costs $4600. Crazy to think that it was only $4200 in 2021. If you’re looking to pay less, look at the pre-loved market as well, although this style seems to be keeping its value surprisingly well.

See below this beautiful, pre-owned small Business Affinity from Fashionphile

Business Affinity in the Medium Size

The Chanel BA in medium is one that will suit a lot of women as their daily bag (if you need to carry your essentials and a bit more). The bag has quite a few compartments for a smaller bag including a front zipped pocket, a back pocket, and two compartments inside, one zipped and one not. We love that a smartphone can easily fit in the back pocket, so it’s very convenient to take it in and out.

Dimensions: 6.7 x 9 x 3.1 inches

What fits inside: As mentioned, this handbag is a great one for everyday that obviously fits more than the mini but not too much that it becomes heavy and uncomfortable to wear. You can fit the following things inside:

• A smartphone
• A cardholder or small wallet
• Keys with a key pouch
• Mask & mini hand sanitizer
• Mini makeup pouch
• Sunglasses with a soft case

Versatility: Similarly to the mini, the medium BA is quite a versatile handbag. 1. it can be worn multiple ways: on the shoulder, cross-body and held by the top handle. 2. it can also work for night outings as long as you’re not going to a fancy gala, as the bag still appears quite small despite how roomy it is.

Price: The medium BA has also increased in price in 2022, it now costs $4900, dangerously close to the 5k mark.

See this pre-loved medium BA on Fashionphile

Pros and Cons of the Business Affinity Bags

What we like:

1. it’s one of Chanel’s more affordable pieces and even though it’s not a Chanel classic, it has a lot of classic features
2. it’s an amazing cross-body bag! Chanel often does awkward lengths for their bags, but both Business Affinity sizes work great as a cross body bags
3. the fact that it comes in caviar leather! No need to over baby this bag, wear it (relatively) carefree
4. amazing back pocket that actually fits stuff like your phone
5. versatility: can use it on your shoulder, cross-body or using the top handle
6. it has feet on the bottom, so you don’t have to worry about dirt on the bottom of the bag

What we dislike

1. the fabric interior. Chanel has initially released the Business Affinity with leather interior, but then they’ve changed it to fabric. For the amount that Chanel charges for this bag, we think they should have kept the leather interior
2. there has been reports that the bag sometimes topples over, especially if you put heavier stuff into the front compartment
3. it’s not a classic in the Chanel universe. Which means that if Chanel decides not to release this bag anymore, it might also loose its value on the pre-loved market (or it can actually increase its value, you never know with these things!).

Price increase in 2022

As mentioned earlier, the Business Affinity was also affected by the January 2022 price increase, like many other Chanel bags – see an article about it here. The new prices are

• $4600 for the Small/Mini Affinity
• $4900 for the Medium Affinity

See below some of our favorite picks from Fashionphile.

So, what do you think about the Chanel's Business Affinity bags? Do you like them, do you see them being a classic someday? We'd love to know!