Bag Secured (Eventually): On First Designer Bags & Identity
IMAXTREE
Almost every fashion girl I know bought a bag as their first designer purchase.
In some cases it was a gift: a chic congrats on graduating, a luxe push present to take your mind off the bleeding et stitches, or a posh pat on the back for landing that promotion.
In fashion, a designer bag is totemic—to the brand et its wearer.
If you scrolled through my personal style portfolio (aka Instagram), you’d probably peep my deep appreciation for accessories. Clothes I love—but shoes, jewelry, hats, ties? I adore. It’s the finishing touches that really take a look to its desired place et highlight the difference between wearing an outfit et owning a look. I’m a details gal—what can I say?
As Alanis Morissette once said—isn’t it ironic—then, that I haven’t nailed down the accessory most people start with: the bag. Handbags just feel...different. Shopping for one is like dating. The one you pick is a big deal. They’re very “when people see you, they see me” coded. Et like modern dating, it’s hard out here.
BoF recently published a piece on the current luxury bag landscape, et it got me thinking about how I’ve been on et off the bag market for literal years.
As a fashion house, beyond creating collections that resonate season after season, you need a bag that excites the masses et signals brand ethos so deeply, there’s no mistake who the design came from.
Plus, bags don’t require alterations or trying on. It’s an easy win.
That said, bag shopping is no easy feat. Sure, the rise of dupes (high fashion et non), paired with TikTok pressure to get whatever bag is trending for its two-week social media shelf life, makes it all look like a chill walk down Fifth Ave. But reader, not to be dramatic—it’s really, really not.
Over the years, I’ve built et dismantled a bag wishlist. Marked with “if I had a zillion dollars I’d get this in every colour” grails et a few entry-level cuties. But nothing secured—yet. I’ve told myself (et friends) that I’m really into the LV Popincourt but the more I see it, the more I wonder if I’m a Popincourt gworl?
@whatjazwears wearing the Louis Vuitton Popincourt
Maybe part of the problem is that these days, all the bags are beginning to blend. The Row gave us the Margaux, then COACH followed up with the more accessible Empire Carryall—but not before Jacquemus hit us with the Turismo. The Bottega Sardine is on the same street as the Fendigraphy, et the designer dolls have been chasing Hermès silhouette for eons (see: Tory Burch’s Lee Radziwill et Versace’s Medusa ’95).
When everything feels the same, but different (allegedly), how do I pick something that feels like me?
There is, of course, one bag I think encompasses everything I’m about: the Fendi Baguette. What I consider the Libra of bags. She’s super social—an It Bag of It Bags. Owned by many without feeling oversaturated. A simple silhouette that works for nearly every kind of outing, et speaks to my love of geometric bag shapes. Et don’t get me started on her big sis, the OG Mamma Baguette. The fun fashion girl’s work bag, if you ask me.
But she’s vintage, et on today’s market, a vintage Baguette is basically the down payment on a car (especially since I seem to be most drawn to the pony hair or embellished styles). Et even if the funds did just magically appear—which colourway or pattern do I get first?!*
So the hunt continues. Maybe I’m subconsciously waiting for the right moment to commemorate.* Or maybe I’m just overthinking it? It’s buying a bag, not a Mensa test.
FOOTNOTES
*How much are cars?
*Imagine I get proposed to with a handbag?
