I remember the first time I realized some women actually carried their belongings around in a bag that didn’t have a strap. I was interning for a French fashion house, and one of our buyers came in for a market appointment with a Goayrd Document Pouch tucked under her arm. Said arm also happened to be dressed in fur, and I remember thinking that I wanted to look that effortlessly cool one day, without really thinking much about what carrying a bag without a strap really entails.
A document pouch as a purse not only says, “I’ve got it all together,” but it also very much gives “I’ve got my driver waiting for me downstairs” vibes. After all, who can really walk around all day popping in and out of public transportation and running errands like a mere mortal while clutching a portfolio that can’t be worn with a strap?
A Brief Histroy of the Document Pouch
The exact history of the Document Pouch is hard to nail down, but it has definitely got ancient roots, and presumably, they date all the way back to ancient times. Both the Met and the Smithsonian archives have early evidence of what was then called letter cases. They very much resemble the document cases and portfolios as we know them today, and the briefcase in its earliest form is considered to be a letter holder. Made from fabric, the below is a letter case from France that dates back to the late 17th or early 18th century.
image via The Met
The document pouch, as we know it today, can largely be tied back to the 1800s and early 1900s, with the boom of travel and the need for special carryalls to accompany those wealthy enough to travel by locomotive or sea. Some of the world’s most iconic luxury brands, like Goyard, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès, were created during this time period in history, and it is those brand’s that’s document pouches have been adapted by the chicest of handbag lovers as a slim daily carryall that packs a big punch in style.
There’s Louis Vuitton’s Poche Documents and Goyard’s version that bears the same name, but there are also less literal, slim pochettes for those looking to achieve that effortlessly cool, I-look-like-a-boss, look. With pouch-like bags forever trending, there’s no time like the present to tap into this look. It’s one I’ve always wanted to achieve but never quite had the courage to pull it off. But you know what they say, there’s no time like the present, right?
What size is the Goyard pouch in the cover image? It looks so cool
I don’t use a document pouch as a purse, but whenever I need to be somewhere with documents I bring a document pouch. I love how my papers are all arranged and protected. Environmentally friendlier than disposable envelopes as well:)
I love this! The document pouch look says it all. Great idea for an article!
Agree. Interesting post, especially the bit of history behind it. Enjoyed this.
The ring in that first picture is very cool.
I like the look of document pouches, but in my daily life, it would be impractical. Maybe for a night out.
thank you, this is fascinating. I wish I could pull it off. Everything I have is always too bulky.
i have a goyard one, prada one and louis vuitton one – i use them when i travel to put my necessities and also when i go to the beach, to store phone chargers and tech stuff! so many uses!
I use the LV Discovery Pochette in Macassar and the Pochette Voyage in Monogram Eclipse and both have been great additions to my collection. The only thing is Covid-19 and regular hand sanitizing do not mix with leather and coated canvas.
Oh yes, thank you! I bought a black leather Coach tablet case a few yrs ago. It fits my 9,7″ iPad but mostly I’ve used it as a purse. I can fit my phone, wallet, 6 ring key holder, tissue, lipstick, hand cream, masks, hand disinfectant, basically everything I need for a few hours of running errands. I never thought I’d enjoy carrying it as much as I do – I don’t find the lack of a strap troubling me at all. Not for every day and every situation, but sometimes it’s just perfection.