Here are my review as well as some mod shots of the Chanel 19. I had a hard time deciding on the sizing and the color and wasn’t able to find that much information online, so I hope this is helpful for those making similar purchase decisions. The two bags featured: 20S beige lambskin in small, and 20A white goatskin in medium. For reference I’m 5’9, 141 lbs.
My overall review of the bag: LOVE is an understatement. Super easy to carry in 4 different ways (shoulder, cross body, top handle and as a clutch), fits a ton, very durable leather, and goes with a wide variety of casual and dressy outfits. I haven’t owned these bags for that long but they are fast becoming my favs of my entire collection.
Sizing: I don’t think height should be a determining factor; it’s more about the look you are going for and what you typically like to wear. The small looks more elegant, and the medium has more of a casual cool vibe to it. I think the small looks better with a summer dress, a casual but slim fitting summer outfit or an elegant winter coat (like a camel coat), and the medium looks better with thicker winter outfits or dresses that are more loose fitting. Both sizes can be dresses up or down IMO, but I personally wouldn’t wear the medium to a semi-formal event (whenever that happens again lol).
Color: I love the 20S beige and think it’s one of the most beautiful beiges I’ve seen from Chanel, but I’m absolutely obsessed with the white. The white just really pops and is a surprisingly versatile color. I see myself wearing the white a lot in all four seasons. Beige on the other hand screams more spring summer to me.
Leather: to be honest, I can’t quite tell the difference between lamb and goat even when looking closely side by side. Goatskin seems a tad bit studier, but lambskin is really sturdy too since it’s treated. I’ve heard the leather on the 19 varies a lot from season to season and batch to batch, so maybe there are greater variations out there, but I personally wouldn’t worry too much about lambskin not being durable.
Practicality: the small is more comfortable to wear, but the medium fits more. The small looks really good and feels comfortable when worn cross body, but the medium not as much. However, the medium fits a lot more. People say the small already fits a lot but to me sometimes it falls a little short on that front. When you put all your backs in (wallet, sunglasses, mini pocketed etc.) in, it’s harder to use the back pocket to store your iPhone. It’s a definitely a trade-off.
Hope this is helpful! Which one is your favorite
My overall review of the bag: LOVE is an understatement. Super easy to carry in 4 different ways (shoulder, cross body, top handle and as a clutch), fits a ton, very durable leather, and goes with a wide variety of casual and dressy outfits. I haven’t owned these bags for that long but they are fast becoming my favs of my entire collection.
Sizing: I don’t think height should be a determining factor; it’s more about the look you are going for and what you typically like to wear. The small looks more elegant, and the medium has more of a casual cool vibe to it. I think the small looks better with a summer dress, a casual but slim fitting summer outfit or an elegant winter coat (like a camel coat), and the medium looks better with thicker winter outfits or dresses that are more loose fitting. Both sizes can be dresses up or down IMO, but I personally wouldn’t wear the medium to a semi-formal event (whenever that happens again lol).
Color: I love the 20S beige and think it’s one of the most beautiful beiges I’ve seen from Chanel, but I’m absolutely obsessed with the white. The white just really pops and is a surprisingly versatile color. I see myself wearing the white a lot in all four seasons. Beige on the other hand screams more spring summer to me.
Leather: to be honest, I can’t quite tell the difference between lamb and goat even when looking closely side by side. Goatskin seems a tad bit studier, but lambskin is really sturdy too since it’s treated. I’ve heard the leather on the 19 varies a lot from season to season and batch to batch, so maybe there are greater variations out there, but I personally wouldn’t worry too much about lambskin not being durable.
Practicality: the small is more comfortable to wear, but the medium fits more. The small looks really good and feels comfortable when worn cross body, but the medium not as much. However, the medium fits a lot more. People say the small already fits a lot but to me sometimes it falls a little short on that front. When you put all your backs in (wallet, sunglasses, mini pocketed etc.) in, it’s harder to use the back pocket to store your iPhone. It’s a definitely a trade-off.
Hope this is helpful! Which one is your favorite