One of my favorite movies, and one that my siblings all love too, is Made of Honor. It’s one of those quintessential rom-coms that instantly transports me back to a very specific moment in my life. I’m sure if I watched it today, I’d notice a few things that haven’t aged perfectly (isn’t that true of almost every favorite movie from the early 2000s?), but I’m choosing to remember it exactly as I did the first time I saw it.
The film came out in 2008, just after I got married and just before I packed up my life and moved to New York City. Patrick Dempsey played the charming lead opposite Michelle Monaghan, somehow convinced us that he’d invented the coffee sleeve, and lived the kind of impossibly glamorous Manhattan life that only existed in movies.
Between Made of Honor and Sex and the City, I was fully convinced New York was a place of beautiful brownstones, endless coffee runs, and women carrying extraordinary handbags. Reality, of course, was a little less cinematic, but that version of New York still lives rent-free in my mind.
That’s exactly why these images of Michelle Monaghan stopped me mid-scroll.
Dressed in Carolina Herrera against the backdrop of a classic Manhattan brownstone, Monaghan looks as though she stepped straight out of the New York I imagined all those years ago. The oversized wooden windows, the historic architecture, and the effortless tailoring all feel unmistakably New York. There’s something wonderfully timeless about the entire scene, and seeing Monaghan in it instantly brought me back to the movie that made me fall in love with the idea of the city long before I ever called it home.
And then there’s the bag.
The Carolina Herrera Consuelo is the Perfect Finishing Touch
Monaghan carries Carolina Herrera’s Consuelo bag, a sculptural design inspired by the graceful shape of a hand fan. We recently took a closer look at Carolina Herrera’s growing handbag collection, but seeing the Consuelo in motion, styled rather than simply photographed, made me appreciate it even more. And the shape, inspired by a hand fan, feels refreshingly different in a sea of familiar luxury shapes.
That’s something Carolina Herrera continues to do especially well. There’s an undeniable romance woven throughout the brand, balanced by confidence and polish. The clothes and bags are feminine without feeling overly delicate, often brought to life by rich colors, striking prints, and silhouettes that celebrate the woman who wears them rather than overshadowing her.
Maybe that’s why these images resonated with me so much. They didn’t just make me notice a beautiful handbag; they reminded me of why I fell in love with fashion, movies, and New York in the first place. And if a bag can transport you back to a specific chapter of your life before you’ve even looked at the details, I’d say it’s doing something right.
Now tell me: am I the only one who immediately thought of Made of Honor when I saw Michelle Monaghan in these photos?
