Prada

Prada Bets Big on Little Shoulder Bags for Resort 2019

Can Miuccia Prada make the short strap happen?

I didn’t think fanny packs or tiny sunglasses would ever be a big thing again. Even I, a person who watches trends swing back and forth for a living, thought those two were too far beyond the pale to return, and the past year of internet aesthetics has roundly disproved my instincts. Before all that happened, I would have said that petite shoulder bags with short shoulder straps, a la the Fendi Baguette, wouldn’t be returning, either. Now, and with Prada‘s Resort 2019 bag collection sitting in front of me (well, in front of me on my laptop), I’m not so sure.

Even though Prada’s seasonal collections tend to be large and diverse, the brand is one of those that specializes on the runway, showing its most fashion-forward seasonal pieces that give the brand’s aesthetic tone a clear direction for the months ahead. In this case, that means that all of Prada’s resort runway bags were of similar structures: small, east-west flap shoulder bags with short straps that mean the bag sits under your upper arm. The style harkens back to the late 90s and early 2000s, which is an era of fashion that’s recently become fertile ground for trend revivals. It was 20 years ago, after all.

This style might be a difficult pitch to women who have grown used to the easier access allowed by a crossbody strap, which doesn’t require you to take the bag off your body to get inside of it and limited the need to readjust while you’re wearing it. I’m willing to bet that at least some of the several styles we saw on Prada’s runway will come with option crossbody straps, though, and even if they don’t, short-strap shoulder bags may well be a nostalgic revival whose time has come. At the very least, it feels more possible right now than it ever has before, and Prada isn’t the first time to try and coax it into a comeback. They may be the brand that makes it happen, though. Check out photos of the new bags below.

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