“Your bag is beautiful.” I heard from behind me while I was standing in line at Erin McKenna’s Bakery on the Lower East Side. It was a Saturday evening in late July, and I had decided against going out with my friends in favor of cooking myself a nice dinner and cuddling with my French Bulldog, Dudley. Instead of socializing, I figured I should at least get out of my apartment and get some fresh air, so I stepped out for a walk. My feet led me right to Erin McKenna’s, formerly known as Babycakes, an entirely vegan and gluten-free bakery in my neighborhood.
A haven for those with food allergies like myself, I was staring into the abyss of the pastry case, trying to decide which treat I would take home for my solo evening, when an older woman waiting for her order to be ready complimented my bag. I was dressed pretty casually in low-rise jeans, a black mesh tank, and my favorite Nikes. My Loewe Puzzle Hobo Bag in Mandarin was draped over my shoulder, and when I turned to thank her, I immediately noticed her large Chanel Classic Flap in caviar leather with silver hardware, and I knew, she knew.
Bonding Over Bags
“Thank you so much! I love yours, too!” I exclaimed, after which I gushed about how nice Loewe’s leathers are, and she nodded enthusiastically in agreement. I told her how much I loved bags and that I had been collecting them since I was a teen. She smiled brightly as she said goodbye and exited the store. I ordered and left the bakery with a slice of agave chocolate crumb cake in hand and an even sweeter memory of the short but lovely interaction.
Bags are more than bags for many of us; they can be conversation starters and a slice of light on an otherwise gloomy day. The woman I spoke to could have easily been my mother, wearing a chic outfit, likely dressed up for a Saturday evening with her husband; we couldn’t have appeared more opposite to the naked eye. Me with my Y2K-esque outfit and chunky 90s-inspired sneakers and her with a Classic Chanel Flap and quite likely a very pricey fusion of RTW. But still, we bonded over our bags. My Loewe Puzzle Hobo is bright orange and hard to miss, and it has garnered a lot of love since I bought it, which always adds a bit of joy to an otherwise mundane day.
Which bag is your biggest conversation starter?
I’m more interested in the denim Chanel in the pic 😂
Agree, and that dress!
My brightest bags get the compliments…Jungle Green Loewe Puzzle Bag and my brightest orange Gucci 1947 bag. I really think the color draws attention. I can carry my most expensive bag that is black and not one word.
I totally agree color really draws people in!
Agree too. My most complimented bags hardly ever have notieceable logos and are either unusual shapes (my strathberry tote) or bright colors. I have a Tory Burch limited edition print tote and every single time I’ve worn it, I’ve got compliments on it – it’s the carousel print and I thought it was really fun. I got the mini in the sale and it was a steal. I never expected it would get so much attention each time I wear it. Put on an LV though, or a Gucci, or YSL and I never get compliments. I think partly because you see so many, whether real or fake. It’s like when I watch collection videos, if it’s nothing but classic flaps in various colors and leathers, I’m switching off lol.
Same – I have a Staud beaded shoulder bag that gets a ton of compliments because of how colorful and fun it is – and it’s one of the least expensive bags in my wardrobe. Most of my more expensive, “fancy” handbags are also in neutrals and hardly ever noticed.
Me too! I have so many designer bags. But my bright, sunny yellow Ralph Lauren soft Ricky bag gets TONS of compliments.
The bag I got the most complements on consistently was a $10 bag I think I got at Claire’s. Literally had a woman run across a parking lot to tell me how much she loved it.
what’s the denim Chanel bag in the article?!
It never fails, every time I take out my Chanel graffiti on the pavement bag. I get compliments from young, old, men and women.
I will always lust after this bag!
That bag is too cool 😎 👌
…my purple Bottega veneta cassette bag
Love BV purple always!
I get tons of compliments on my black Mulberry Bayswater (old style) satchel. I have an insert in it and it’s so organized and fits more than you think. It’s also so understated and wonderful. It’s my workhorse bag for sure.
Me too! The Bayswater is such a good work bag, I just wish it had a shoulder strap. I get complimented a lot when I wear mine
I recently purchased a Coach satchel in bubblegum pink and I get a lot of compliments on it. I am not normally into the color pink, but I had decided I wanted a pink handbag and came across this bag with the matching wallet and bought it for myself as a birthday present.
I find that amongst my friends, my Chloe Hayley begets the most attention but that my Hermes Kelly to go gets a lot more attention in general. Most people are just mystified by the things that they deem unattainable personally.
I love your handle.😊
Believe it or not people stop me all the time to ask what brand my Mansur Gavriel bags are. I have different colors in the tote and the bucket!!
Do u prefer the standard or soft tote?
Standard. Tote. But I’m not opposed to the soft.
My Marc Jacob’s The Tote Bag in Harbor Blue leather. I can see why. In my neck of the woods, I rarely see one in leather. Most are canvas in either black or cream.
I have a Coach Field tote that is horizontally striped in orange, off white, and brown with also bit of navy. That thing gets compliments like crazy (and it’s a great bag). The other one that gets crazy compliments is my Loewe Parachute in cream. I think for both bags, it is because they are eye catching— the Coach because of the colors and the slight puffiness and the Loewe because of the shape.
Trying to fix a mistake above. I meant to type Hammock not Parachute.
My Gucci small 1961 Jackie in blue ostrich. It must be the color that grabs people’s attention, because I typically get fewer compliments when I’m carrying neutrals, even Chanel and Hermes.
Wow, that Jackie sounds like a showstopper!
It’s beautiful. The perfect blue for jeans 🙂
Great topic, Kaitlin!
Hands down, my vintage LV green monogram Vernis Bedford! It’s insane: That beauty causes a sensation whether I’m at the grocery store, my work, the doctor’s office, even the car wash! The cheerful server at a Las Vegas buffet raved over it and threatened to take it from me! If I want extra attention I’ll carry my green Vernis Bedford. I’m thinking about purchasing the same bag in red.
My Hiroko Hayashi spring green cross body.
Surprising, when compared to a beacon in the night like the mandarin puzzle bag, but my understated Mulberry Lily in oak with the gold chain strap. Something about the combination of the leather color and the gold hardware elicits attention.
Steel McCartney two tone chain shoulder bag.
Literally am stopped and asked every time I’m carrying it. I bought the cream color and loved it so much that I also purchased it in black.
My Gucci Tian because it’s a great pattern and bags from that collection are not seen very often these days. When Polene was just rising in exposure and popularity I got lots of compliments on my Numero Un and Numero Deux. There are a lot more Polene bags around now, so I no longer get many compliments on them. (Although I haven’t taken my two Noddes out and about yet; we’ll see how well they “perform” in the court of public opinion.)
Ooh, what color are your Noddes? Since you have 2, I’m guessing you find them useful? Do they fit a decent amount? Are they mostly Spring/Summer bags? I’m considering getting one and I’ve not tried Polene yet.
My Primo Atelier bespoke bag! I always get compliments that it’s unique and they always ask what brand it is!
Chanel Wallet on Chain! Doesn’t matter what color – but traditional black gets the most recognition!
My LV Coussin PM (black) either with strap or gold chain – gets compliments every time! Also, my Small Dior Caro (Beige) and LV Loop.
Dior Caro is sooo pretty and feels so nice to the touch
I almost always get compliments on my LV amfAR 3 bag. I’ve had it forever but it’s still beautiful. I don’t see others out in the wild very often so I think that’s part of what grabs folks attention.
My Loewe Amber / Light Oat tricolor Puzzle has received the most compliments. However, my Bottega Veneta Holographic Padded Cassette will likely surpass the Puzzle. I’m not surprised. These two bags are the attention-getters in my collection.
Valextra Iside Mini in Polvere takes the cake easily!
My casual “daily” bag is my Chloe Marcie, in the small size, in black. It gets so many compliments! While I have other “nicer” bags, this is the one I also use the most. It’s a perfect daily.
My denim Valentino bag with Roman Studs. I get compliments all the time for this bag. It’s a beauty.
I almost always carry black bags, but when I take out my Neverfull Fornasetti Cameo bag it never fails to draw compliments and commets. I have a couple of red Bals that I thought I would carry, but ended up giving them to my daughters who can really rock and love them. I guess I really am a black bag girl.
Colorful & unique always garners the most compliments. I was in Miami this past week & my beaded staud tommy bag got a dozen compliments in a few hours. All from women and girls carrying bags that cost 5-20x what mine did. I think people are sick of seeing the same plain-ish stuff over and over.
I’m a crafter, and I make a lot of beautiful stuff, and I’m more interested in exotic bags, especially handcrafted items with materials like Crocodile leather and other rare material. I think it seems more like an art and more exclusive due to the difficulty of the material and how to process it into a product than a regular mass production item.
Does anyone know the name / type or more details on the Denim Chamel bag?
…and I’m interested in the GF bakery 😀
I agree, it’s such a conversation starter and it’s so pleasant to just offer a sincere, genuine compliment based on our common love for bags. Recently, I bummed into a lady with her OG LV bumbag and I had to say something. It made my day seeing her smile that someone appreciated her bag
Erin McKenna’s is THE BEST. I believe she has some locations in California too. It was a favorite of Megs also when she lived in New York!
Oh, forgot to mention. Got a compliment for my LV Metis Hobo at a Gucci outlet at Orlando recently 🙂
Hands down it’s my vintage Goyard Bellechasse tote in brown/black. I travel with it and people constantly stop measking where I got it from.
I get the most compliments about my bags that I get from small fashion houses in South Korea. They are extremely well-made and uniquely stylish.
My Gucci Marmont. Everyone always comments on it.
I live in a small town, so when someone notices it, they know bags.
It’s interesting– I don’t take my Virgil Abloom Louis Vuitton flower bouquet bag often but used it on a recent trip to Japan. At least five people stopped in the street or in boutiques asking about it and three even asked to either hold it or take photos. That was super fun chatting with them about it and comparing popular styles in Tokyo. But here in the US I’ve carried it out once and nobody even batted an eye!
Whoops *Abloh– darn autocorrect!
Often times I get compliments on either my vintage red or black epi speedys. Both are very well cared for and crisp. People often ask after them and compliment them. As well as a few vintage 1940’s bags I have.
My Bespoke Ebury in Petrol Croc. It’s an unusual color and not obviously branded, so people are curious.