Trust Instagram to turn a perfectly practical big bag lover into one willing to experiment with mini bags. It’s not unnatural, given how lately they have been shoved down our throats by brands right and left. Nevertheless, as a longtime devotee of maxi bags, it feels strange (okay, slightly guilty) to tow around a virtually weightless crossbody.
What am I referring to? My recent mini-bagging spree, of course! The winter season brings a host of opportunities for outings, and what could be a better time to pull off some lewks than on these rare occasions when you aren’t weighed down by your books?
Now, you might ask, why am I (of all people) suddenly harping on mini bags? After all, it’s been a while since Jacquemus’s Le Chiquito had the fashion world collectively questioning their sanity. Plus, trends have recently swung in favor of larger silhouettes. And fashionistas are now switching out their absurdly tiny top handles for comically gigantic totes or boxy bowlers. I can almost hear the sighs of relief from frazzled working ladies around the world. At last, their uber-functional daily haulers are cool again!
Yet, why am I, who has always championed the carryall, suddenly gravitating towards smaller styles? And can you still justify buying them anymore?
The Ultimate Cool Girl Chic
The mini bag is the cool girl equivalent of the handbag world. Not an investment from a practical standpoint but more of an aspirational accessory. Imagine hailing a cab, a monogrammed pochette dangling sulkily from your arm. Or, running to a Pilates session, a Baguette paired with peak athleisure screaming “hot girl summer!”
Essentially, that is the primary appeal of small purses. Carefree harbingers of a lust-worthy lifestyle, one doesn’t have to love them to realize their potential. And this is what has made them darlings among the fashion set. Who doesn’t want to appear as if they haven’t a worry in the world, right?
In fact, when the trend was fresh on the scene, brands were racing to devise the smallest iterations possible, with contenders like Jacquemus, Valentino, and Dior leading the way. Their shock value helped turn heads, of course (“cool” is often synonymous with “shocking”), but it was the more functional mini sizes, not their microscopic counterparts, which garnered the biggest audiences. Paired with a frenzied obsession for all things Y2K, what was once reserved for the coolest gals thus became a mainstay in our wardrobes!
The Liberty of Carrying Nothing
While undoubtedly edgy, mini-bags are likely to perform rather dismally when it comes to their price-to-practicality ratio. At their most minuscule, they’ll barely accommodate your AirPods. (Slightly) Large versions may carry your phone and card case mercifully, but not much else. Given this glaring handicap, it’s easy to scoff at them and move on.
But wait! While your trusty extra-large tote may hold anything and everything, its practicality comes at a price. You’ll be tempted to fill every nook and cranny (I know I am). And your carryall will inevitably end up carrying all your partner’s/children’s/friend’s/pet’s belongings too!
On the other hand, mini bags require a commitment to minimalism, freeing you from the physical and (very real) psychological burden of a giant bag. And if we’re being frank, how many essentials do we really need to lug around for non-workplace errands? Clearly, not many. And hence, a borrowed crossbody trunk here, and a python-printed belt bag there, have all led me to conclude that carrying a mini is liberating! As fashion writer Liana Satenstein writes, “with a (mini) shoulder bag, you can also truly sprint around the city, far beyond any woman who is tilted by her tote of troubles.”
Endless Possibilities of Reinvention
Now, the notion of carrying smaller sizes may seem daunting for lovers of bigger bags. After all, could a mini-bag tucked discreetly under your arm possibly bring about the same level of sartorial drama that a larger carryall can? Yes indeed!
In fact, a smaller purse is not only a safer canvas for experimentation (see: python-prints and me), but it can also transform a relatively basic outfit into an Instagram-worthy OOTD. And with endless options for colors, materials, and embellishments, mini-bags have also earned a following among fashion-forward men, serving as reliable (not to mention stylish) additions to night-out ensembles everywhere!
Plus, if you happen to be on the fence about monograms, mini bags are also a subtle way to show off some branding without appearing like a walking billboard. Not quite if-you-know-you-know, but not entirely conspicuous either.
But Smaller Price Tags? Not Always
Now admittedly, we purse-lovers don’t need much of an excuse to splurge on a new handbag, especially with sound arguments like cost-per-wear in our arsenal. Even then, justifying a four-figure price tag for a bite-sized purse somehow feels…not right.
Originally, mini-bags used to be among a brand’s most accessible offerings, priced to cater to masses who still aspired for a piece of the heritage. However, as the style’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, this hasn’t remained the case. Fashion houses like Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton have launched trend-appropriate mini-silhouettes that lie within the upper echelons of luxury pricing, such as the Jodie and the Coussin.
Can their purchases still be justified despite the rising prices for mini styles? Well, at their core, mini bags represent a certain sense of whimsicality. Meant to project a rather superfluous image of conspicuous consumption, it fits right in with the unbridled optimism within the post-pandemic luxury sector. And to put it rather romantically, miniature purses exude the aura of an artwork, meant to be displayed and admired rather than used and beaten up.
But as we move towards more uncertain economic times, mini bags are likely to have continued relevance, only now in the form of more under-the-radar styles. Think minimalist pieces from The Row, Staud, and Coperni – usable elements that can still blend perfectly with your everyday outfits.
Eventually, mini-bags tug at our fun-loving heartstrings; as such, they’ll be just as relevant, even as we charge head-on into the era of maxi-purses.
As lovely as mini bags are, if they do not fit my phone it’s a big no… I cannot imagine carry a bag and hold my phone in my arm.
I think you have to regard a mini bag as an accessory like jewelry – decorative with no real function. That said, I would never spend that much for jewelry that will be outdated in a season or two.
Ditto!
If you’re like me and drop or lose your phone 100x per day, then being forced to carry it in hand is like a phone death sentence.
❤️❤️❤️
Not to mention keys!
Mini bags are cute, sometimes impractical (you can’t fit a phone in that) but still cute. but the price is really not cute. at all.
I am so guilty of the double bag style – courtesy of AJLT, I guess! Ever since seeing Carrie Bradshaw return to the streets of NYC with a cute mini bag for the fit and a tote for the stuff, I’ve adopted the style. It’s probably dumb and certainly redundant, but the heart wants what it wants. (Cue the Hannah Montana theme – “it’s the bessssttt of both worlds…”)
You are a marketing team’s dream. They were able to make you believe you need to purchase double the amount of bags.
Need and want are different things. I don’t do double-bag, but I think it’s a bit much to say Kitty that you replied to was convinced she “needs” double the amount of bags.
Otherwise, I think most of us here on a purse forum are a marketing team’s dream lol. Even if we hate on one brand or trend or the other, we’re obviously at the very least making the industry popular by engaging in its content, and probably buying some bags too.
Haha! I guess I am!
I believe that a mini bag should have a mini price, but sadly the price is not commemorative of the size. Mini bags are too small for me though because I carry the “kitchen sink”. 😉
When I saw the mini Balenciaga hourglass bag this spring in the silver rhinestone my heart left my body (this is before the brand’s big controversy). Then I saw the price of $4,300 and I was dumbfounded. I understand that designer fashion isn’t necessarily meant to be accessible, but I couldn’t comprehend spending that much money on a bag that doesn’t hold anything. And with constant pricing increases, mini bags are costing as much as I would want to spend on an everyday handbag.
I think “mini” versus “nano” or whatever we want to call it needs to be a distinct difference. I do love the article but the can-fit-phone-and-card-case vs only-decorative pieces are treated as one and I can’t agree with that. The “just hold, can’t even fit an airpod case” ones just aren’t the same as my bags that comfortably carry my phone and mini-wallet.
I am ALL for mini/small bags. If I do use one of my medium sized bags, I still only carry just my phone, mini-wallet and mints with me, maybe my airpods. So the medium sized bag is just for the look, for me at those times. Some people carry water bottles hand cream etc etc and that’s fine, I just don’t feel the need.
Now “nano”/useless/just-accessory bags, well… those I can’t get on board with. I also highly dislike bag charms (for myself). I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist, just simple I guess. I laugh every time I see a celebrity carry a tiny bag-charm-looking-“bag” in a photo. To each their own, but it looks forced to me.
I love the mini bag to throw in a larger tote, but I hate that my phone doesn’t fit in it!! I also feel like I’m buying the smaller bags because the regular sized bags keep increasing in price.
I have two mini bags. One is a Polene Numero 6 that I use as a “breakfast bag” at hotels — its strap fits over my wrist and I can wear it while at the breakfast buffet. Holds my phone, my room keycard, a small pack of tissues and lip gloss. For going out at night for slightly formal social occasions (I very, very seldom do anything truly formal), I have a Jimmy Choo evening bag. Otherwise, for everyday life, I tend to use small-to-medium size bags or totes.
I personally have occassions where they are awesome. I see most people mentioning their phone prevents them from utilizing mini-bags, but I don’t take my phone with me anywhere unless I absolutely have to (and even then I might not), so that’s probably helpful.
When I take or pick up my dogs from the vet, I like to be as little extra bulk or things to carry as possible. But I need something to hold my ID, credit card, a mask, and a key. Maybe also a lip balm.
Hermes had a bag that I was pondering as a potential perfect take-the-dogs-to-the-vet-bag, but my spouse had too much fun mocking me for considering spending $8,000 on a bag to take the dogs to the vet. :p
I envy your lifestyle where you can run errands without having a phone on you. These days I think we’re all so used to a) being reachable at all times and b) having information on our phones. Like the vet scenario I feel I’d need my phone calendar to put in the next appointment’s date or something. I wish I were less attached to my phone.
The ones fitting for social occasions are justifiable. And necessary.
Sajid I always love your articles. I am just not into mini bags though, and see them as cute and almost child like rather than cool. Also I find them impractical.
I usually carry medium/larger bags-maybe if I didn’t need to have so much stuff with me I’d feel differently. At the least, I need a full sized wallet, phone and keys.
I do like the mini Bals but not so much the prices!
Mini bags are cute, but the price? not so much.
I see people carrying mini bags along with a tote/shoulder bag all the time.
Depends on the functionality. Whatever I buy I want my money’s worth so the bag has to be functional and useful.
I love my Balenciaga “mini” city bag. It’s big enough to hold all my essentials. Great quality, paid about $1300, worth it.
Sajid, another great article. I, too, am a MAXI bag person but I’m intrigued by the potential of “small” bags. I wouldn’t ever spend money on a nano/micro bag that couldn’t fit a phone or my keys, but a tiny bag that just fit these items, or perhaps, a WOC, is something I have been considering. As someone who lugs around a brick-sized paper planner for everyday, this would be something I’d use for travel or occasions, but I can appreciate your quandry!