When Keira Knightley stepped out in a Pirates of the Caribbean-esque velvet scalloped jacket and matching Bermuda shorts this week, it seemed she had adhered to the full-look policy of Chemena Kamali’s Chloé girls. But on closer inspection, the actor was spotted clutching a vintage Chanel bag while arriving at a New York screening for her new Netflix show Black Doves.
In fact, Knightley has been spotted with the same Chanel bubble quilt mini flap bag with nearly every outfit she’s worn so far on this press tour – a rarity these days in a world of head-to-toe styling. Even more surprising? The accessory comes from the actor’s own wardrobe: she was first photographed with it at Chanel’s spring/summer 2011 show at the Grand Palais in 2010, back when she was the face of Coco Mademoiselle.
It makes sense that Knightley would revisit the classic style with a twist, given that it goes with absolutely everything – from her SS Daley embroidered jacket to her oversized Carven blazer. The only thing that seems to have really changed all these years later is the way she’s now carrying the bag, which comes straight out of Rihanna’s style playbook: holding it as a clutch or grasping it by the chain, displaying a new sense of confidence.
With fellow Noughties muse Sienna Miller also bringing back out her old wardrobe staples, it’s refreshing to see stars dipping into their own archives. And why not? As Knightley proves, a quilted Chanel flap bag really is for life.
