What does your bag say about you? On the SS24 catwalks, models carried capacious bags overflowing with stuff. We talk to the stylish women who also carry their life in their hands – and those who go nowhere without an immaculate structured bag. Your new season bag search starts here …
Size matters. When it comes to bags, that is. Do you go big and bold, with all your worldly belongings hanging off your shoulder – or are you minimal, structured, organised? Whether you carry a generous Dior book bag (a staple of smart airport lounges), a casual fabric tote or a neat handbag with a clasp, spring/summer 2024 sees a more personal approach to bags.
Now, a designer bag is admired more when it’s worn-in and customised rather than box-fresh. The ultimate bag icon, the late Jane Birkin, popularised the trend for handbag as mobile office; her famously carefree disregard extended to both her wardrobe and her bag – her take being “A handbag is only fun when it’s kicked around so it looks like the cat sat on it.” Birkin’s grab-everything-and-run aesthetic has inspired the likes of Mary-Kate Olsen, Marc Jacobs and Julia Fox, who all champion the worn-in look.
Model Irina Shayk piles everything she needs – including her dog – into her heaving black croc Birkin. It’s somewhat ironic, in an age when so many people choose to delete every sign of age and life from their faces, to flaunt the wear and tear of a leather bag with pride.
Miu Miu SS24
Your bag can say so much about you. It might literally bear your name (Kate Moss carries the velvet Vampire’s Wife bag with her initials on), or overflow with your stuff – either way, it’s all about personality rather than logo-flashing. Individuality is key. Consider the Miu Miu SS24 catwalk, where models lugged unzipped bags that spilled over with high heels, knickers, folded jeans and lanyards. Matthieu Blazy’s SS24 vision for Bottega Veneta certainly has big bag energy. Rolled-up blueprints protruded from oversized intrecciato totes, while at Balenciaga, worn-in shoulder bags clacked with keychains and tassels. You might see this as a symbol of “stealth wealth” (‘I can afford to buy this expensive bag and trash it’) – or about investing in something well-made and strong, and using it to the full, for a lifetime.
There’s a fascination about what other women carry with them. Historically, the contents of your handbag were regarded as private; one friend used to guard her bag so fiercely, we all slightly dreaded what lurked inside.
(American actress Jennifer Garner shared the contents of her voluminous black backpack on social media. She surprised herself with the contents which included glasses, pens, books she was reading with her teenagers and … lots of nuts)
Now, though, bagsharers, from Angela Scanlon to Jennifer Garner, open up their bags on social media. The regular Vogue “In the Bag” series has featured Linda Evangelista, Coleen Rooney and Miriam Margoyles sharing the (often hilarious) contents of their bags. In addition to big knickers with a strong gusset, Miriam always carries a white onion to eat on the go.
What’s it all about? Miuccia Prada said in her show notes that messy bags reflect messy times, that a messy bag isn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering our busy schedules. Perfectly prim and proper bags are more associated with the Kardashians and the British royals. Whatever your bag style, it’s hard to change: if you’re used to carrying your world with you, you’ll feel lost with only a mini-clutch for company, whatever your osteopath says.
So how do you wear yours? We asked some stylish women about their bag habits …
Comedienne and podcaster Joanne McNally says she has always loved big bags: “I have too much stuff for small handbags, particularly as I travel so much. I like to know I can chuck everything in and worry about it later. When I’m flying, I can sneak an extra 15kg in hand-luggage in one of my totes.” McNally’s oversized metallic totes, from her new Anxious Preoccupied clothing and accessories collection, come in bright metallics with contrasting linings and have proved a hit with bag-lovers such as Amy Huberman. “Humongous bags don’t scream organisation, so we decided to include a small clutch for keys and make-up etc – that way, you don’t have to do a full excavation anytime you need to get at the essentials. You can use it as an attachment to the main bag or as a clutch on its own – I love a multitasker.”Anxious Preoccupied oversized vegan leather tote by Joanne McNally, €120; www.anxiouspreoccupied.com.
Paris-based Claire Delap of Take Monday is all about packing solutions. “I’m a practical girl at heart so I love a cross-body (my current favourite is a bucket Céline) with enough space for wallet, sunglasses and a Take Monday Chaptal Small pouch filled with daily essentials (airpods, lipbalm, hand wipes, Metro pass). Our Chaptal Small is designed to be slipped from handbag to handbag – and we painstakingly designed it to precisely fit all of one’s daily essentials, from makeup to sunglasses, an iPhone, chargers and keys. We have a hard time keeping them in stock!” Her dream bag? “I’m always on the hunt for the perfect beachbag – a rattan tote with enough structure so that it doesn’t collapse on the beach and fill with sand but essentially, with some inner pockets! I’d love something artisan and I’ve been scouring the French markets for the winner – vintage or new.”
Actress Valene Kane admits she has a “bag problem”, and treats herself to a new one after every role. Her Chanel 22 (above) was a gift during the filming of The Winter King. “I also love a cross-body bag and have quite a few Prada backpacks. I much prefer being able to walk without having to hold onto straps. My latest acquisition was a pink vintage Prada I found when I was playing Lady Macbeth for the RSC.” Valene also says “I always carry a journal and pen for writing, a book, a laptop light, some perfume and lip balms, and a deck of cards. IS Clinical Shield Balm is another winter essential. A recent addition is a Lyma laser – I have acne scarring and find it’s helping.”
On Team Tidy are Irish stylist Judy Gilroy and make-up artist Bonnie Ryan. “My everyday bag is the Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote,” says Judy. “I use Clossy Cubes (a luxury set of packing cubes) to keep everything organised – one for my things and another for my daughter Stella’s.”
Bonnie Ryan maintains a rigorous edit to ensure her YSL Manhattan bag remains in pristine condition. “I use a lining to ensure no make-up leaves a mark inside. I carry a wallet, Chanel handcream, my phone, keys, a lipliner and gloss from my Sosu collection, and a few bobby pins.”
Beauty entrepreneur Mathilde Lacombe, a mother of three who travels a lot, takes her bags seriously. “I like a classic bag that’s both stylish and practical. I use the Saint Laurent shopping bag a lot – the leather is very resistant, my laptop fits in it and it’s still elegant. I also love my puzzle bag from Loewe – it’s a cross-body so I can have my hands free. I always have so much stuff in my bag, but I try to organise it as much as I can, with little bags inside my bags (one for beauty stuff, one for hand sanitiser, keys, chargers, etc). Lacombe shops mostly online for bags: “I like Resee for a great vintage selection. They have a showroom in the 16th (arrondissement). I bought my Birkin there and the service was great.” Her dream bag would be the Margaux 15 or 17 in brown by The Row. “I would just need to go to my osteopath quite frequently as this bags looks like it could fit a lot in!
