Chloé Bags & Handbags

The History of Chloé: From Gabriella to Gabriela

Romantic, cool and glamorous are the descriptors founder and artistic director Gabriella Aghion use to describe the ultimate Chloé woman. While only serious collectors might be aware of Chloé’s origins under Aghion, the French fashion house has a long history of prestigious leadership. In 1974, the late, legendary Karl Lagerfeld became the House’s sole designer, infusing his collections of soft silk dresses with the carefree romanticism for which the brand is still well known. Recent Chloé creative directors include fashion icons and collector favorites Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, Hannah McGibbon and Clare Waight Keller. Appointed in December 2020, creative director Gabriela Hearst continues to evolve the Chloé brand with her “honest luxury” design philosophy involving slower pacing and processes, as well as ethical production.

Chloé Handbag Materials and Craftsmanship

Chloé handbags primarily utilize calfskin or lambskin leathers. These premium leathers offer different looks depending on their finishes, including luxe textures like croc-embossed, grained, shiny, smooth and suede. Chloé also features casual fabrics like canvas, raffia and woven paper into its seasonal collections. The brand’s characteristic Woody logo ribbon adorns many of its canvas and woven paper totes. Collectors recognize these designs by the white or khaki ribbon trim printed with repeating Chloé logos. No matter its material—leather, canvas, paper or raffia—a Chloé handbag communicates free-spirited Parisian ease and style.

Chloé handbag colors tend toward neutral and muted palettes, with a few pops of brighter tones like vibrant green or sunny coral. Cement pink, light cloud, mirage blue, peach bloom, pottery green, sandy beige, sepia brown, stormy grey and tan are common colorways found in Chloé’s repertoire.

Chloé Girls: The Drew, Faye, Marcie and Tess Bags

Chloé handbags are beloved by collectors for offering the perfect balance of contrasts—femininity vs. tomboyishness, slouchy vs. structured, curved vs. angular. Chloé girl favorites include the Drew, Faye, Marcie and Tess bags.

The Chloé Drew Bag

An icon since its launch in Fall 2014, Chloé’s Drew flap bag instantly conveys an elegant ‘70s-inspired aesthetic with its feminine curved saddle shape and straight topline. An emblematic turn-lock closure with chain detail and oversized strap rings with chain bows lend polish and shine. Chloé Drew handbags encompass convertible wristlet/belt bags, crossbody backpacks and mini, small and medium shoulder bag silhouettes. While the Drew is usually fashioned in various solid-colored calfskin leathers, decorative “bijou,” fringe, floral print and quilted editions add a unique charm to the series.

The Chloé Faye Bag

Since its debut for Spring-Summer 2015, Chloé’s Faye bag offers a contemporary approach to daytime styling. A characteristic large ring and chain detail plus debossed Chloé logo adorn this trapezoidal or rectilinear handbag's front flap. The Chloé Faye comes in small and standard size shoulder bags, small purse and mini chain bag models. The medium size Day bag style, available on resale marketplaces, includes two slender straps and two outer vertical zip pockets for versatility. The Chloé Faye Bracelet bag easily transitions from day to night. This petite pouch adjusts its size via snapped gussets and hangs from an optional long strap attached to a large metal “piercing” ring that the collector can use as a handle in the shoulder strap's absence.

The Chloé Marcie Bag

Another daytime staple from Chloé is the Marcie bag. Distinguished by its curvaceous front flap with visible contouring, the Chloé Marcie collection expresses an effortless nomadic spirit through calfskin leather handbags and woven raffia basket purses. Hand-wrapped leather handles and knotted leather strips contribute to the folkloric feel of these spacious silhouettes. Chloé Marcie bags come in mini, small, medium and standard sizes.

The Chloé Tess Bag

Chloé Tess bags combine the brand’s hallmarks into a single design, making it one of the most sought-after collections. Tess’s characteristic elements include a flap closure with large metal Chloé “O” ring ornament and often combines leather finishes, such as shiny and suede gray calfskin. The Tess bag comes in three styles: the small or large standard bag, the small and mini Day bags and the crossbody pouch. The standard Tess bag possesses a curved saddle shape contoured with contrast-texture leather, while the Day bag offers a more archetypal handbag silhouette and two strap options. Finally, the crossbody pouch has an East/West rectangular shape with curved bottom corners and a delicate chain strap. Medium Tess Hobo bags and Medium Tess shoulder bags are available on secondary markets.

New for 2021: The Chloe Kiss Bag

Designed by former Chloé creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi, the brand introduced Chloé Kiss bag for Spring-Summer 2021. This collection is easily identifiable by its sculptural metal bracelet-like handle and comes in a hobo shoulder bag, small purse and minaudière silhouettes.

Chloé Handbags’ Value and Collectibility

Chloé devotees treasure these bags for their relaxed and wearable styles crafted in high-quality materials. Interested collectors will find these bags obtainable at fair prices on resale sites. Values for popular silhouettes include: 

• Chloé Drew Collection: The majority sell for around $800 on the secondary marketplace.
• Chloé Faye Collection: Most fetch more than $900. 
• Chloé Marcie Collection: Collectors can expect to pay, on average, more than $1,200, for the Marcie satchel on the resale market. 
• Chloé Tess Collection: Less widely available, this statement shoulder bag collection tends to sell for approximately $1,300.

Given Chloé handbags’ availability and fair values on resale markets, those seeking a new or pre-loved Chloé purse are likely to quickly find their perfect piece at the perfect price.