Is Chanel Ready To Wear Worth Buying? Your Complete RTW Guide

Is Chanel Ready To Wear worth the (slightly) insane price tag?

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While most buyers typically associate Chanel with its handbags or perfume, the brand also has a reputation for making quality ready-to-wear clothing. 

But is Chanel ready-to-wear worth buying? We’ll take a look at the brand’s prices, quality, and resale value to find out. 

What is Chanel Ready-to-Wear? 

In the most basic sense, ready-to-wear items are those produced for the general public and sold in stores, rather than being custom-made for individual customers. 

Chanel showcases its ready-to-wear collection biannually during Paris Fashion Week for the spring-summer and autumn-winter seasons. 

As can be expected, Chanel’s spring-summer collections feature items like shorts, light jackets, mini skirts, and dresses. 

Autumn-winter collections feature heavy coats, boots, suits, and full-length dresses. 

Where to Buy Chanel Ready-to-Wear? 

Although Chanel showcases pieces from its ready-to-wear collection online, the items can only be purchased in-store. 

Aside from Chanel boutiques, you can also find ready-to-wear pieces in department stores such as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus.

Keep in mind that these locations may not have every piece or size from the collection. That said, they may be able to place an order for you. 

If you’re looking for secondhand Chanel pieces, sites like Fashionphile, Rebag, and Vestiaire Collective are all reputable sites. 

What Are the Best Chanel RTW Pieces? 

The choice of the best ready-to-wear pieces from Chanel depends on your personal style, existing wardrobe, and budget, among other factors. Still, there are a couple of Chanel RTW pieces that are true classics. 

One is the tweed jacket. Tweed the House’s hallmark fabric and no brand does jackets quite like Chanel. In fact, Chanel has been making this piece in one form or another since the 1920s. 

The original model was inspired on Coco Chanel’s lover, the Duke of Westminster. Legend has it that Chanel fell so in love with the ease and comfort of the Duke’s tweed hunting and fishing jackets that she started incorporating tweed into her womenswear collection in the mid-1920s. 

Since that time, the House has created thousands of different versions of this classic in a range of colors, cuts, and styles. As long as you choose a model that fits your style, you really can’t go wrong. 

Another classic Chanel ready-to-wear piece we recommend is the little black dress. While it might be a taken-for-granted piece these days, it was revolutionary when Chanel introduced it in the 1920s.

With this simple creation, Chanel forever changed women’s fashion. The piece has evolved over time, but its versatility and classic appeal make it the perfect choice if you’re looking to invest in a Chanel piece.  

The final Chanel ready-to-wear item we recommend is the two-toned cap-toe ballet flat in beige and black. These classic shoes have been popular since Audrey Hepburn wore them in Funny Face in 1957. 

Not only are they a super versatile pair of shoes, but they’re also incredibly well-made and will stand up to plenty of use for years to come. 

Chanel Ready to Wear Inspiration

Chanel RTW Quality 

Although there’s a lot of talk about the quality of Chanel bags declining, it’s unclear whether these issues are also present in ready-to-wear items. 

One blogger mentioned that the quality of Chanel clothing was superior in the 90s and 00s, but that’s not to say the quality is no longer there. 

Indeed, another Chanel customer commented on how well-made the pieces are and how well they fit right off the rack. 

Our advice is to check the seams, closures, and fabric quality of the pieces you’re interested in purchasing. These are the aspects most likely to be affected by poor production practices. 

Chanel RTW Cost 

Like pretty much everything Chanel makes, its ready-to-wear items are extremely expensive. On top of that, the brand continues to increase its prices every year, making the purchase of a jacket or dress less and less attainable. 

As a point of reference, an embroidered tweed jacket from the 2022-2023 Cruise Collection has a suggested retail price of $7,350. A white cotton dress from the same collection has a suggested retail price of $4,900. 

If the ready-to-wear item you’re interested in is a classic piece you can see yourself wearing for years to come, then perhaps you can justify the cost. 

That said, even fashion insiders are decrying the brand’s price hikes, claiming that, despite its reputation, Chanel’s quality doesn’t merit such high prices. 

Chanel RTW Resale Value 

While many Chanel bags like the 2.55, the Classic Flap, and the Grand Shopping Tote hold their value incredibly well on the resale market, the same can’t be said for the brand’s ready-to-wear clothing items. 

The main reason for this discrepancy is that, unlike handbag styles that remain relatively constant throughout the years, fashion changes every season. In many cases, secondhand buyers simply aren’t willing to pay a lot for last year’s pieces. 

As an example, you can easily scoop up an on-trend tweed mini skirt for under $300 or a jacket for around $1000. 

If you’re buying a ready-to-wear item with the hopes of reselling it one day, go for a classic piece and make sure to take good care of it. You won’t make money on it, but you may recoup some of what you spent. 

So, Is Chanel Ready to Wear Worth Buying? 

As is the case with many luxury purchases, the answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no. 

If you love Chanel’s clothing and have extra money to spend, then the brand’s ready-to-wear pieces might be just what you’re looking for. Still, you should make sure that the pieces you’re buying are up to Chanel’s quality standards. 

On the other hand, if you’re still on the fence about Chanel’s RTW collections, our advice is to invest in classic pieces that won’t go out of style anytime soon. Doing so will ensure that you maximize your cost per wear.