Chanel Vintage Emerald Green Quilted Suede Flap Bag

The Archive

This is the kind of vintage Chanel that earns the word unicorn.

Instead of the black lambskin most associated with Chanel's classic flap, this piece is rendered entirely in deep emerald green suede—including the leather woven through its long chain. The suede gives the traditional diamond quilting an almost velvet-like depth, changing from forest green to rich emerald depending on the light. Against it sits the unmistakable warm gold CC turnlock, creating a combination that feels far more jewel-like than a traditional everyday flap.

This isn't simply a vintage Chanel flap in a different color. The suede is what makes the bag. It is considerably less common on the secondary market than Chanel's lambskin and caviar classics, and finding it more than three decades later with strong color, recognizable nap and a beautifully preserved silhouette makes this a collector's piece.

Collectors Notes 

Designer: Chanel
Style: Vintage Quilted Suede Single Flap Shoulder Bag
Era/Year: 1989–1991
Color: Deep Emerald / Forest Green
Material: Quilted suede
Hardware: 24K Gold Plated 
Closure: CC turnlock
Strap: Gold-tone chain interwoven with matching green suede
Height: 7.2"
Length: 7.5"
Depth: 2"
Strap Drop: 19"
Authentication: Entrupy Verified
Includes: Vintage Chanel dust bag

Condition Report

Very good vintage condition with wear consistent with the delicate nature and age of suede. The exterior retains a beautiful saturated green with visible variation in the suede nap, light surface rubbing, scattered marks and minor areas of flattening. There is gentle rubbing along the piping, edges and corners, but no significant loss of structure visible in the photographs.

The diamond quilting remains beautifully defined and the bag maintains its square silhouette. The gold-tone CC turnlock and chain remain bright with light age-related surface wear. Overall, this is an exceptionally attractive presentation for a vintage suede Chanel of this age.

Curators Perspective 

This is one I would market as a collector's Chanel, not simply another vintage flap.

Green Chanel already has tremendous visual impact. Green suede Chanel from the Lagerfeld era is another category altogether. Suede is unforgiving—it records its history—so surviving examples with strong color and structure are inherently harder to find.

And this particular shade is extraordinary. It has the moodiness of black but becomes unmistakably emerald when the light hits it. Add the gold hardware and long chain and you have exactly what I look for in vintage: recognizably Chanel, but something you are unlikely to see someone else carrying.

This is also why I think your instinct to lead your drop with this as the “unicorn bag” is right.