As someone known for my flamboyant purse collection, this isn’t something I like to talk about. However, it’s been weighing on my mind for a while and I need to come clean. Despite having a closet full of beautiful bags, the bag I use the most is a giant denim bag from See by Chloe. It’s not glamorous, and I don’t even like it that much, but it’s the only bag that will fit my runners, laptop, and the sixteen different tubes of lip colour that I never use but just sort of carry around because I can’t be bothered to remove them from the bag and put them away. I’m so ashamed.
I feel awful saying this, as I truly love designer bags — probably way more than anyone should love any material thing — but they just don’t cut it for dragging around my entire life from home to work to the gym to the social events I always promise to attend and never do.
My Givenchy Antigona is the nice bag that comes closest to being able to accommodate the ridiculous amount of garbage I cart around, but something inside of me just can’t bring myself to shove my fetid gym sneakers deep past the smooth leather of my prized purse, permanently warping the bag’s shape and leaving it with the distinct odour of Kristen a la gym.
Bags have been getting exponentially smaller in recent years, and while I love the look of many of these tiny bags, this has seriously narrowed my options in terms of a functional and good-looking giant purse that can hold my water bottle and the flats I change into when the nice shoes I’m wearing begin to savagely cut into my feet.
An easy solution for this would be a backpack. I know. But I don’t want to cart all of my possessions on my back around like some sort of workhorse. No, I want a great bag to hang the crushing weight of my entire life on my shoulder, further throwing my body out of alignment and ensuring that my right shoulder will never again sit on equal footing with my left shoulder.
There was a time in the early aughts when designers seemed to be vying to make the most excessively large bag possible. At the time my mother scoffed at my ridiculously large bags, but my mom also worked from home and owned a car—what did she know about the struggle? I look back on the days of the Big Bag with longing and regret: I really didn’t know how good I had it.
However, after an extended (and sometimes excruciating) period of designers giving preference to tiny bags, there are some indicators that change is on the horizon.
Of course, we’ve been hearing rumblings of a large bag uprising for at least a year, which I believe was wishful thinking on part of the fashion media, but really what is there to do after the micro-bag trend has been taken to its logical and ridiculous conclusion? Exhibit A: this vaguely menacing and maddeningly tiny Jacquemus bag measuring just 6 centimetres tall and 10 centimetres wide.
Jacquemus himself, it seems, has changed his mind. The bags he debuted for his Spring 2019 collection could easily fit the entire contents of my studio apartment inside of them, complete with space for my cat to run around. A bit of an overcorrection, but I’ll take it.
The mini-bag trend was perhaps always destined to be answered by a giant bag trend, as fashion isn’t really into moderation. However this particular iteration of fashion industry extra-ness is something I am 100% here for.
I will absolutely not stop using my enormous See by Chloe denim hobo bag, but perhaps I could add a few more giant bags to my rotation that do not feature decorative rope as a design flourish. This bag, more than any other bag I’ve had, inspires conflicted emotions in me: I feel terrible that I make fun of it whenever I have the chance, because it truly is a sturdy and useful bag, but also, truly, why is decorative rope hanging off of it? While I may never work out my complicated feelings about this, I’m glad that designers seem to be moving towards an increased emphasis on function without sacrificing creativity and aesthetics. Here are some of my favourites big bags:
Proenza Schouler Extra Large Leather Tote
MCM Large Liz Reversible Shopper
Balenciaga Carry Shopper
Rebecca Minkoff Stella Large Leopard Tote
Prada Concept Hobo
Gucci Rajah Suede Maxi Bag
Stella McCartney Reversible Oleo Faux Leather Tote
Burberry Giant Check Reversible Tote
Old Celine had a great selection of big bags: the Cabas tote, the Small Big bag…which was more BIG than Small…how I miss Old Celine…
Agreed so hard. I just switched back from my pretty tiny bag to an old hobo and it’s sooo freeing. I bring lunch to work, today I unexpectedly made plans to give a book to a friend in the evening, bought unplanned groceries and got a slip that I have a package waiting for me at the post office. With the small bag I’d have carried the lunch / book / groceries / package in hand or in a plastic bag. I don’t understand how structured and pre-planned people’s lives are if small bags are more convenient.
You sound like a real person! Someone I can relate to, lol
The longchamp pliage is both large and so lightweight that it does the job without the cost on spine health that heavy bags entail. Its stylish without being in your face. I am surprised longchamp gets such little love on purseforum. I guess you dont have to push a solid item-it sells itself!
It’s because they stopped making them in France and shipped manufacturing overseas. I bought several of right before the switch.
I think you can still get them custom made in France – at least you could a few years ago when I ordered mine on-line. You can (or could) pick the color and stripe design. At least you could then . . . . Hopefully that is still available. I love mine
I love my Longchamp Pliage it’s a functional bag that you just can’t do without. When not in use, just fold and tuck away. Perfect.
i prefer big bags over smaller bags any day
I think most traditionally-sized/large tote or doctor bag will work… don’t all brands make these classic styles?
Otherwise I have the Large size of this bag by independent handbag designer Agnes Baddoo (http://www.agnesbaddoo.com/product/carry-all-canvas-natural-cow) and it’s MASSIVE. Like, the size of a large weekender or a laundry sack. I still want a medium or small for daily use.
Once my kids were of a certain age, I got rid of all of my big bags. I’m just not a tote person, but it served its purpose. For function alone, I loved them.
Now? Give me all the small bags. I like to compartmentalize my life so I carry a separate handbag and backpack. I only keep work stuff in there. I use a Victoria’s Secret tote for my gym clothes which stays in the car.
Same here. I carry a LV pochette 98% of the time. Wallet,(zippy coin purse) phone and lipstick. What the heck else do I need?? I look at what is in my other bags and I never even use 90% of the stuff that is in them anyways.
Well, I must admit that you could be right on 90% of stuff not being used. Things do seem to disappear inside, never to be seen again!
Agreed. I prefer my smaller bags — not tiny, it needs to be big enough to carry my large wallet with some room to spare — but I have no need to carry ten billion things. I just fill up a big bag and end up with something that weighs 20+ pounds so a small to midsized bag keeps things sane.
When I worked in a city with good public transport, I used a backpack and put my small bag inside the backpack along with my heels and other work stuff.
I’ve been saying that for so long!!! Yes! Pleaseee
I knew big bags were coming back! I mean, how many Nano & mini bags can one person have, before they say, enough is enough! Give me something pretty & classy, I can put all my stuff in! Not too big (like those suitcase size bags of 10 yrs. ago), though! Remember those pillow case size, puffy zig-zag- pillowed, Mui Mui bags? It was a total Mary Poppins bag!
On a positive note: maybe we can put those Nano purses to good use as makeup bags, nail polish bags, or lunch boxes! After all, they’ll easily fit in our next large new tote bag!
Happy Shopping? & Merry Christmas!?
Totally agree with you about the large bags. I only have one large navy Mulberry tote left after selling all of my large bags. Recently I decided to purchase another large bag simply due to need but didn’t want to spend a fortune so I decided on a Coach bag and love it as it is in a lovely soft grey leather and carries all I need. However, it is heavier and doesn’t replace my Prada Cahier bag and others sitting in my closet. As of now I am rotating my two large bags and wonder why I have Gucci, Prada, LV, and others sitting in dust covers in my closet. Again, like you, I love designer bags.
Please don’t get rid of those classics! Instead of leaving them in dust bags, display them somewhere! After all, they are pieces of art & culture. I’m wondering why you sold all your big totes (though it’s none of my business, at all!!!) . I hope you got more money than you paid for them!
Every once in awhile I need a smaller bag but daily I NEED a larger bag… preferably a tote size that is sturdy and securely closes at the top.
You can add the larger Goyard Artois MM…it easily fits laptops, books, shoes, water bottles, way too much makeup, and bags of purchases easier to stuff in there rather than carrying separately…all with generous shoulder straps, protected corners, and a top zipper.
hell no! My shoulder are SOOO happy these days!!!
The only time I carry a small bag is when I’m wearing evening wear/formal attire. That’s it. Hate them, they don’t work for me in any way. Add in the fact that I’m over 6 feet tall and a small bag simply doesn’t work proportion wise. If a bag isn’t at LEAST 18 inches wide, I’m not going to look at it. Believe me when I say that 11″ – 13″ is the norm for most “large” bags now with a very short strap drop (again, when you’re tall, it makes a huge difference). I miss the bags from 10 plus years ago; they were large. I carry a classic CHANEL tote from the 80’s (HUGE) or a Gucci horse-bit Hobo (HUGE from the 90’s) and call it a day.
I’d get the Balenciaga. They make their bags work! They just go and go. I recently just bought a Givenchy duffle bag made of leather so it’s more structured than a traditional duffle bag but looks super chic. It fits my gym clothes, shoes and a toiletries case. I love a big bag but hate how much they end up weighing so I’ve stopped buying them.