Chanel Spring 2026 Couture Transparent Flap Bags

A closer look at the Chanel Spring 2026 Couture Transparent Flap Bags.

Couture week in Paris is usually never about the bags. All eyes are on the clothes, meticulously hand-sewn, expertly embellished and polished for the elite clients buying the most exclusive fashion in the world. You almost never see a bag on the runway at the haute couture shows, at least in recent years. But that’s not the case at Chanel: for the spring 2026 season, the brand showcased ethereal transparent flap bags that captivated clients and the internet with sheer whimsy.

Chanel’s Spring 2026 couture transparent flap bags are a beautifully impractical take on the classic flap–a sheer shell of the former heavy, old school bag that so many people associate with the brand. If you just caught it out of the corner of your eye, you might not even realize it’s a new take on the iconic accessory. It lacks structure and falls organically as its held: looking as light and airy as a silk scarf on a spring day.

The spring 2026 couture collection was, of course, creative director Matthieu Blazy’s (formerly of Bottega Veneta and Maison Margiela) big couture debut for Chanel. The man knows his way around creating covetable accessories.

Keeping with the sheer wonderland theme, each bag came with a hand-embroidered note gently hanging from the outside. The note reportedly read, “Since it is agreed that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, why wouldn’t we admit that the mouth is the interpreter of the heart.”

Do you think we’ll see the Chanel sheer whispers of a bag out on the streets, worn by real people and collectors? Only time will tell, given they’re technically couture and made-to-order. Whether you like them or not, they sort of break the usual rules of the typical couture runway show and that’s one thing that’s undeniably interesting.