Please help me choose: Chanel 22 - small vs. med & GHW vs SHW

[Misha333]

Hi everyone! I’d love your help choosing my next Chanel 22 bag.

I’m torn between the small and the medium size. I’m 5'4" (162 cm) and don’t want the bag to look huge on me—especially since I plan to use it for all-day errands around the city and possibly for travel. I usually travel with my Goyard totes, so it would be nice to have an alternative. It would also be a plus if I could fit a laptop, though it’s not a priority since I’m unsure about taking a logo-heavy bag to work.

I’m also debating hardware. Almost all of my bags have gold hardware, and I do own Chanel dad sandals with gold CCs, so the gold might match better. But the 22’s antique gold looks very yellow to me, and I’m not sure I love that. I want the bag to look casual and easy to style. On the other hand, the silver hardware looks more like matte gray in person, which feels more toned down—but I’m unsure how well it pairs with the rest of my wardrobe.

I just got the beige and navy Chanel ballet flats (beige clair), and I’m not sure whether black with silver hardware would work well with those. For those who have the black 22 with silver, do you find it easy to pair with outfits? In general, which combo do you find more versatile—black and gold or black and silver?

Would love your thoughts on:

Small vs. medium on a 5'4" frame

Antique gold vs. silver hardware on the black Chanel 22
Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Misha333]

Hi everyone! I’d love your help choosing my next Chanel 22 bag.

I’m set on getting it in black, but I’m torn between the small and the medium size. I’m 5'5" (165 cm) and don’t want the bag to look huge on me. I already have a few larger Goyard totes. Both bags on the photos are small.

I plan to use the bag for full days out running errands in the city and maybe for travel. It would be a bonus if it could fit a laptop, but that’s not essential—I’m not sure I’d want to take a logo-heavy bag to work anyway.

I’m also debating hardware. Almost all of my bags have gold hardware, and I do own Chanel dad sandals with gold CCs, so the gold might match better. But the 22’s antique gold looks very yellow to me, and I’m not sure I love that. I want the bag to look casual and easy to style. On the other hand, the silver hardware looks more like matte gray in person, which feels more toned down—but I’m unsure how well it would pairs with the rest of my wardrobe which leans warm toned. Also, I just got the beige clair and navy Chanel ballet flats, and I’m not sure whether black with silver hardware would work well with those. For those who have the black 22 with silver, do you find it easy to pair with everything? In general, which combo do you find more versatile—black and gold or black and silver?

Would love your thoughts on:
- Small vs. medium on a 5'4" frame
- Antique gold vs. silver hardware on the black Chanel 22

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[aaaaanthony]

Gold and small. You’ll always doubt and wonder if the silver will match with your style. Medium can be a bit overwhelming and you have the goyards for additional space. I’ve been between small and medium myself. Best of luck!

 

[Misha333]

Oops I edited the post & added photos and looks like it created a new thread instead, so now there are two duplicative threads, sorry...

 

[Misha333]

Gold and small. You’ll always doubt and wonder if the silver will match with your style. Medium can be a bit overwhelming and you have the goyards for additional space. I’ve been between small and medium myself. Best of luck!

Thank you! You have a great point regarding future doubts and I tend to do that after bag & jewelry purchases lol... Not sure if it changes your opinion, but adding the photos here for reference. I tried to add these to my original post, but instead somehow created a duplicative thread.

Did you end up choosing small or medium? Or still deciding?

 

[AlexandriaThen]

Silver and small looks good for an everyday carryall bag

 

[Mrslac1]

I like the Gold and small

 

[lolasparks]

Gold and small!

 

[Luvluxx098]

I have the black medium in gold and love it. But I think small and gold works best on you and also with beige. You can always turn the chanel logo to your body when you don’t want anyone to see it. I do that all the time.

 

[step2005]

I like all the combos but also think you'll be happiest with a small gold...

 

[Misha333]

Thank you all for the advice! There seems to be an almost unanimous vote for the small size with the GW. I’ll probably go ahead and order it tomorrow—so exciting! 🤩

 

[Misha333]

Thanks so much to everyone who shared advice and voted—it really helped me decide! I ended up going with the small size in gold hardware, as most of you recommended. I'm really excited to start using it.

Quick question for those who have this bag—did yours also start out looking very straight at the top? I expected it to be more scrunched, but when I try to bunch it up, it goes back to looking straight pretty fast. Curious if that changes as the leather softens over time.

That said, I love the overall look, and was pleasantly surprised that my 14" laptop fits both vertically and sideways. It does flatten the bag out when it’s in there, but it’s great to have the option for those rare times I might need to carry it.

 

[BreezyE]

I think the 22 is a casual bag and the silver looks best on it. The gold feels off to me.

 

[880]

I think black and silver is more casual and neutral. But, OP wears bags with GHW and seems to prefer some coordination with a warm toned wardrobe, so I believe she got the small GHW

Not sure that I’d pair either bag with navy and beige Claire flats, but it’s a personal preference issue. These days, mixing is pretty popular

 

[Misha333]

Thank you, @BreezyE and @880! I agree that silver looks great on this bag. That said, I’m happy I went with gold—it turns out I have quite a few shoes with chunky GHW, like my Gucci loafers, Chanel dad sandals, Chanel boots and flats, and Valentino sandals, plus others with smaller GHW accents that wouldn’t have paired as well with silver. I also mostly wear gold jewelry, with the exception of my engagement ring, which is platinum.