WORTH THE SPLURGE: Finding Chanel in France

Last week, my boyfriend and I returned from a two week trip to France and Italy.  We started in Paris, went down through the South of France and the Côte d'Azur, then into Florence and finally spent a few days on a farm in Tuscany.  Needless to say - it was divine: the art, the food, the wine...and the shopping.  Since a) I'm on a budget and b) NYC has such excellent fashion - my main goal while in Europe was to look for vintage.  I didn't have much luck in Paris and there was a great selection in Florence - but my pièce de résistance came on a quiet cobblestone street in Antibes, where I uncovered the fashion find of a lifetime: the perfect Chanel bag.  

Upon spotting the bag, I picked up the tiny treasure with disbelief - this was just the size and style I had been lusting after for ages...small and square with an adjustable chain strap that can be made short or worn casually across the body - this particular model is no longer even being made.  Sure, it's a bit worn down and rough around the edges, but that makes it even cooler - and to find it VINTAGE from a boutique in a French seaside town?!  It was too good to be true ... 

Luckily, my boyfriend recognized my bulging eyes as I tightly gripped the quilted lambskin.  While I stuttered to him unintelligibly about my find - N wished me a happy birthday and paid the grinning boutique owner who'd been prattling on about the rareness of finding vintage Chanel anymore (as if I needed any encouragement).  

So, without further ado - here she is, my very first Chanel bag - and one of my all time favorite birthday gifts.

Now I would love to know: What's one of your best vintage finds of all time?  Or one of your favorite birthday gifts?  Post a comment to reply!

-Natty