Are you considering getting a Celine Classic Bag? You’ve come to the right place; I am here to do a full review.
The Celine Classic Bag is as iconic as a bag can be. It represents everything about the Phoebe Philo era at Celine – although, I might have said the same thing about the luggage bag when I reviewed it. It is timeless, it is chic, it belongs to those who don’t care about trends. This bag first launched in 2011, and since then it’s never been outdated and placed on a shelf. Many companies created a dupe (or an inspired version), including A.P.C., The Curated, Sézane and many more. Celine discontinued this bag in 2023. I saw the bag in store in August 2023 in New York City for the last time.
It’s mid-2025 as I write this, and I still see this bag everywhere in New York City. Whether it’s on a Sunday morning out in Central Park crossbody over a coat or at a restaurant worn over the shoulder, it is everywhere and each time I see it I am smiling and reminded of my love for this bag.
The Celine Classic Bag first came on my radar sometime in 2016. Those were the times when I started thinking about designer bags and luxury goods. After purchasing my Chanel WOC, this was the first bag with a ginormous price tag that I wanted. No one told me about this bag as this isn’t a Chanel double flap that you are often told you ‘need’ as part of your collection. I saw it in a Celine ad and I was hooked. It took me seven years to decide on the best color and leather combination and pull the trigger on the second-hand market. I ended up purchasing the Celine Classic Bag in Liégé leather in the color storm, which is a bluish grey color.
This blog post is all about the Celine Classic Bag. A full review with all the pros and cons.
STYLE
This is a very classic and minimal style bag. It is inspired by Celine’s vintage horse carriage logo bag; however, the buckle and strap have been updated. The minimal hardware, perfectly designed classic shape and front buckle are what makes this bag. The dimensions as well as buckle look perfect in the medium size, in my opinion. The bag was carried by many celebrities a quick google search will show you photos of Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, Celine Dion, Reese Witherspoon, amongst others. It’s mostly a Fall/ Winter bag because of its style, but no one will stop you from wearing this in Spring or Summer.
Photo is a property of Celine.
AVAILABLE SIZES
The bag comes in three different sizes. The Medium is the most popular size of this bag, it is 9 x 7 x 3 in. The Small is 6 x 5 x 3 inches, it does not fit the larger iPhones, so this model was eventually discontinued. The Teen size is 7x 6x 2 in, it is the last variation in the sizes of this bag. It was purposefully launched to fit the larger iPhones. I believe the teen size launched under Hedi Slimane when he took over in 2018.
All the sizes can be easily spotted based on where the buckle sits. If it’s too close to the bottom of the bag, it’s probably a small. If it’s sitting almost in the middle, it’s probably the teen. If it’s sitting in the bottom 1/3 of the bag, and the bag is bigger (of course), it’s probably the medium.
For a very short period, there was a large size, which was eventually discontinued. Those sometimes pop-up on the second-hand market.
Left to right: Small, Teen, Medium.
PRICE
The Medium size, which is the one I had was set at $4200 + tax. By the time I purchased this bag, it was no longer sold in stores and I found one on the second-hand market for a lot less, a steal.
LEATHER OPTIONS
The bag comes in boxed leather, liégé leather as well as exotic leathers of course as Celine always does. The boxed leather is prone to collecting scratches, however based on some of the reviews I’ve read it’s not that bad – unless you are careless with your bags.
The liégé leather is a very scratch resistant leather. It is virtually impossible to scratch this bag, the leather is highly treated but it doesn’t feel like safiano leather.
HARDWARE
An aged gold hardware is used on the buckle and strap clasps, a very Phoebe Philo era style. Some of these bags, depending on the color come in silver hardware. I personally think the bag’s entire look depends heavily on the aged gold front buckle, and it really loses its charm in silver.
STRAP
The Strap is the perfect width in my opinion, it is removable and adjustable. It has two of these square gold metal snappy clasps that help you adjust the length. These are unfortunately sharp.
The bag can be used over the shoulder and crossbody. As you rest the strap on your shoulder (crossbody or over the shoulder), the clasps are meant to go in the front, beneath your clavicle, and on your upper back. This is meant to prevent the strap from moving.
You can also ditch the strap. Phoebe Philo herself has been seen using the black version of the medium size bag as a clutch. It does look very chic, and as a bonus the bag fully stands upright on a table, if you’re out for dinner or drinks.
COMPARTMENTS: NOT AS ROOMY
The Medium Classic Bag has three compartments. As you look at it from outside you can see an almost accordion look to the bag. The first compartment has two pockets which fit my iPods and lip products. You can also put your keys with a pochette in the same compartment. The second compartment is large enough for a cardholder, sunglasses in case, and a sanitizer. The third area is zipped, I rarely ever used that section and I wouldn’t recommend putting anything except for receipts and paper as you can cause the leather to lose its shape, which would show on the back of your bag.
WEIGHT OF THE BAG
This bag is heavy. You may not notice it right away, but once you fill the bag and take it out for a day, you will.
The first day I used this bag, I was out for 10-12 hours. I filled it with my basics like keys, cardholder, iPods, lip balm, sanitizer, sunglasses and case. After a couple of hours, I noticed the weight of the bag and by the time I came back home I had a lot of upper back and neck pain. Not to be too dramatic, my skin around where the bag’s clasps rested (clavicle and shoulder) was quite red.
GETTING IN & OUT: FRONT CLASP
It is pretty easy to open the clasp and get in and out of this bag. But requires both hands, there is no way around it. Eventually, as you use this bag and the flap also eases into opening and closing, you might find it a little harder to place the flap in the right spot to secure the front buckle on it.
CARE & MAINTENANCE
This was an easy bag to care for, as long as it is stored in the dust bag. My bag was in the liégé leather, and I don’t remember having to do anything.
The only thing I would recommend is taking the strap off the bag before storing it. Or if you’re a frequent user, keep the strap out of the dust bag. As I mentioned earlier the strap has these square metal pieces, which can scratch your bag.
QUALITY: WEAR & TEAR
This is an (old) Celine item and it is made well. In the liégé version, it is hard to see signs of wear and tear. The hardware will naturally collect some scratches, but as I’ve mentioned before (old) Celine items that are made of this brass color gold really keep their color and age beautifully.
RESALE VALUE AND SECOND-HAND MARKET
The resale value range is quite large. This bag has been sold for as low of $850 to $3000 depending on the leather, condition, color and hardware combination. The prices were higher as Phoebe Philo left the house of Celine with an initial surge; I think we are starting to see the prices come down on this model for around $1200-1500. Spoiler alert: it is a bag with a few cons, and the reviews are pretty consistent when I talk to people who have used it.
MOST ICONIC COLORS
This bag is probably most known for its box leather in the color brown with the gold hardware. This is the most iconic combination. Probably second place is for the black boxed leather, this is also popular. If you like the liégé leather, the colors storm (greyish blue) and souris (beige) are probably the most popular. You want a good contrast between the color of the bag and the hardware. The boxed leather provides another layer of contrast between shiny leather and aged hardware. The exotic leather version is also very beautiful, but I think less is more for this style.
WHAT TO WEAR IT WITH
I would make sure you’re not wearing this bag directly over skin or over knitwear. You really need something to protect your skin and knits from the square snaps on the strap as they are sharp. So, make sure you have a coat on or something that wouldn’t pill.
CONS: PUTTING IT ALTOGETHER
You probably took mental notes as you were reading but these are the main cons for this bag.
- Despite the size being medium, because of its several compartments it doesn’t take that many things inside.
- The bag is quite heavy, along with the painful strap snaps, not a good combination.
- It is a seasonal bag, it’s mostly a Fall/ Winter bag.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m quite strict on letting go of things I do not use regularly. But, this was a very difficult bag to let go of. I felt incredibly guilty letting go of a Phoebe Philo piece – I reached out to several friends asking if I had gone too far letting go of things. I thought I would hold on to this bag forever when I first got it. But the cons really prevented me from reaching for this bag.
This blog post is all about the Celine Classic Bag. A full review with all the pros and cons.
As always, thank you for stopping by and reading. If this content interested you, you might want to follow my Instagram account @girlontheues
See you next time,
Girl on the Upper East Side
Xx
If this interests you, you might enjoy reading my blog post Mansur Gavriel Mini Bucket bag review, The Row Margaux 15 bag review, and the bags I bought and sold in 2024.
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