When It Comes to Style, It’s In the Bag

While the IB has fallen out of favor, its legacy is that the consumer now knows the value of an expensive bag and is almost instinctively on the lookout for the “next big thing” in the bag world. And that’s where the good news begins. All of the attention lavished over the past decade on behalf of luxury-goods companies in the quest to create and sell “the world’s most desirable bag” has led to the construction and revamping of some pretty thoughtful, well-put-together classics, with a degree of longevity one would never have attributed to the IB.

These days most of us know what we want from a handbag, or a pocketbook, as Americans call them. Practicality is mostly high on the list (even with an evening bag or minaudière, one needs to be able to fit in the car keys, the lipstick and a mobile phone); shape and style is, of course, a personal thing, though in my experience, one is either a tote lugger (short straps, big body); a long-strap, medium, squishy-shape lover; or a neat-and-tidy, over-the-shoulder, boxy type. As for color, black and brown obviously win hands down, though this season, there’s a plethora of acid vibrancy out there, and a lighter color for summer (taupe or mouse’s back) is always a nice idea. Of course, one can switch in and out where bags are concerned; but really, buying a handbag is like buying underwear—if it looks racy, it probably has a sprinter’s shelf life and will be spent long before you are.

Buying handbags is a challenging customer experience. Unlike clothing or shoes, one cannot easily see the pricing without unzipping or opening the bag, since retailers have cannily understood that tucking the price inside a side pocket requires a level of commitment to, and interaction with, the product that one might not necessarily relish. This is doubly uncomfortable if one is carrying large shopping bags already or has a small child in tow. Full marks then to Louis Vuitton, which displays the pricing on all of its handbags, loud and proud in front of each item at their gleaming Bond Street emporium. Quite right. Why should a customer have to enquire every time a price is needed or go through the rigors of fighting to open stubborn clasps? If I could have any bag in the Louis Vuitton store (and there are lots to choose from), I would take the casually chic “Artsy” in black python for £5,600. The LV-embossed croquet trunk also caught my eye. For £50,000, it would be churlish not to buy that too.

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