Style Strategy 004: Finding *the* bag: a guide to style, substance, and satisfaction
Beyond the hype and into the essentials for your perfect bag.
Kate Moss appeared in a Louis Vuitton ad, the pochette casually slung over her shoulder. It was 2000, and Marc Jacobs, four years into his tenure as Creative Director, was busy breathing new life into the French luggage house. Ready-to-wear collections, updated small leather goods (industry speak for handbags), and a line-up of iconic faces like Moss were all part of his revitalisation strategy.
I was in high school at the time, and like many, I tore that ad from a fashion magazine and covered one of my exercise books with it, preserving it with contact paper. The way that pochette looked—and more importantly, how it was worn — embodied everything I aspired to be: nonchalant, effortlessly stylish, the very definition of oh-this-old-thing-I-basically-forgot-it-was-here.
I begged for it as a birthday gift, and a few years later, I was lucky enough to get my hands on it. The ad had made it so popular that it was often sold out. As with most things, anticipation only sweetened the reward.
Apparently it retailed for US$165 in 20011. The sales assistant gently suggested that it wasn’t actually meant to be a handbag because the strap was so short; it was a true pochette that was initially designed in 1992 to be placed within a larger handbag. I didn’t care.
Handbags are more than just accessories; they’re extensions of our identities, reflecting our personal style, taste, and even status. They’re one of the most immediate ways to communicate who we are—or who we wish to be. Carrying a particular bag aligns us with certain cultural symbols, signaling, at a base level perhaps, but in a way that resonates with those who recognize its language.
In 1955, Chanel introduced their now-iconic quilted handbag with a long chain strap, allowing it to be worn over the shoulder, leaving hands free. This unconventional design was more than just a style statement—it harked back to the original purpose of handbags, which was to give women mobility beyond the home, enabling them to carry their essentials as they navigated social and work activities.
Just a year later, in 1956, Grace Kelly famously used an Hermès handbag, then called the Sac à dépêches, to shield her pregnancy from the paparazzi. The bag became more than an accessory; it was a shield, offering her a sense of security and control while epitomising elegance and femininity.
We all know how the story goes—both bags have since become symbols of class and timeless style. Are you aligning yourself with the regal elegance of Grace Kelly, or the French chic of Coco Chanel? Perhaps you're drawn to the Fendi Baguette for its ironic 2000s glamour à la Carrie Bradshaw, or maybe it’s the bohemian edge of the Balenciaga City bag, as seen on Sienna Miller. Or, do you want to signal that you've arrived with a [insert brand name here]?
The act of pining for, researching, and finally acquiring a handbag taps into our brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and creating a sense of happiness and fulfillment. You’ve made it. This emotional connection explains why handbags often become more than mere possessions; they’re symbols of achievement, of self-reward.
Understanding the historical, sociological, and psychological layers surrounding handbags makes it clear: a handbag isn’t just a handbag. But of course, you already knew that.
THE NEXT SECTION IS PAYWALLED. IT WILL BE COVERING…
How that word ‘investment’ in ‘investment bag’ can lead you astray
Do you love the look of the bag, or do you love what it says about you?
What bag do you actually need in your life?
Hard vs soft, Match vs clash.
While I love to shop, there is a lot of shopping out there, and I really want to give you the tools to navigate shopping and style through identity rather than instantly thinking you need to buy something to ‘fix’ yourself and your sense of identity through your personal style.
Shopping links — which are the bread-and-butter to make so many Substacks financially feasible, including mine — will be limited for this series. Because of this, it will be a series for paid subscribers only.
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