Why Has the It-Handbag Made a Disappearance?

[yslforever]

You think there are not it bags anymore?

The Andiamo last summer, the Cassette, the garbage bag by Chanel, the YSL big one, the Chiquito... I do think there are still "it bags". The re-launch of the Saddle bag, the 30Montaigne...

I also think that some rich people carry just Hermès bags because it is a status symbol. Without the Hermès they feel poor I think.

I would include the Margaux by the Row... always sold out, and some die-hard Hermès people are rotating their Birkins with this model nowadays. I assume Hermès isn't exclusive enough anymore...

 

[philophile]

I would include the Margaux by the Row... always sold out, and some die-hard Hermès people are rotating their Birkins with this model nowadays. I assume Hermès isn't exclusive enough anymore...

True about the cassette bag and the Margaux by The Row (dear God is it a horrible bag, BTW). I think the only bags I really like in the past year are several Jil Sander bags and a couple from Hereu. I would have liked to mention the PP new giant totes, but I fear only mentioning them will already cost me money.

 

[Creative]

Also de Goyard mini tote is super trendy (or at least it was a few months ago). I do think we still have “it” bags.

 

[blueorchid]

I also think that some rich people carry just Hermès bags because it is a status symbol. Without the Hermès they feel poor I think.

I think a lot of them get a real thrill (in a findom way) out of the whole Hermès song and dance, too.

 

[Supergrofatty]

Since my introduction of the Forum i have been to Milano and London and have not seen any bag that is the streets of these 3 towns.
Anyhow not Goyard that is really now carried by people coming from Asia. There a some smaller brands of better quality and not at such insane prices.
As a trend, but not a it-hit-bag, it seems that they are getting larger again.

 

[philophile]

It's true, though. There have been no bags in the past years reaching nearly the popularity of the Balenciaga 'City' bag, or the Givenchy 'Antigona', the Loewe 'Puzzle', old Céline Phantom, or even the PS11.

 

[Supergrofatty]

I have noticed that in the last two years or so, women's newspapers have stopped talking about "having", "wearing" or "buying" this or that handbag, but of choosing which ones to "invest in".
And sometimes one can read comments such as "some bags are worth more once you walk through the door of the shop". Investing therefore simply means wearing it (or not) and reselling it while recovering at least its investment.
On the Internet, accounts dedicated to "investing" in handbags are proliferating and attracting young women who have a limited access to traditional investments. It appears that auction houses rely on this juicy spiral as much as they do on master paintings. Christie's has replaced its fashion department with an accessories department and generated $35.8 million (€33.5 million) in revenue in this sector in 2023.
The demand is so great that it is becoming a segment of exceptional growth" around 2/3 of the clients in its sector are millennials, in the 25 and 35 age.

 

[tigerrouge]

Clothes and accessories made from many modern materials are not made to last, not in their manufactured form. In time, they peel or crumble, whether they're used or not, so people might as well buy what they like, and use them until they give up the ghost.

But if someone wants to "invest" thousands into something made from a flavour of vegan leather, then that would be their own decision. It's more of a gamble than a guaranteed investment. Only do it if you can afford to lose.

 

[Creative]

I don’t think it has something to do with quality tho.

It’s true that in the 10s there were not as many products as there are now. Every brand realeases a new wannabe hit per season, so it’s normal the success is more diluted. It’s the same as with trends, before they were super “strict” and everybody would follow. Now… there are basically no trends anymore. It’s a question of oversaturation. Although I do think there are some it bags here and there.

Last Summer it was the Loewe supple basket… EVERYBODY had it. Oh gosh.

 

[Creative]

And don't we remember the Dior Book Tote? Every person in the world, guys included, and all the A-list celebs, had one. It was way bigger than the motorcycle.

Also, in 2007 the style icons were a few (Kate Moss among them...) and we didn't have so much access to information, just by magazines and if you were really a freak and interested, you would google. Street style was not even a thing by then and normal got all the info through magazines, so it was way more filtered than now.

Nowaydays, every important influencer gets paid to get dressed each day by one brand. Before, the style icons were more "themselves" so they would stick to what they liked... And with TikTok and the amount of info that we consume, everything gets old super fast, so there's no time for it bags to really make it big. The Andiamo was cool last Summer, but it feels kinda old already. The Cassette is like from another era. IDK. There are just a few ones that really make, like the new Saddle by MGC, the Tote Book...

 

[philophile]

Nowaydays, every important influencer gets paid to get dressed each day by one brand. Before, the style icons were more "themselves" so they would stick to what they liked... And with TikTok and the amount of info that we consume, everything gets old super fast, so there's no time for it bags to really make it big.

So true. This is the reason why I fail to understand why people follow influencers, as the vast majority are soo obviously not authentic. You have to be really, really dumb not to see it. But we live in an era that celebrates fakeness more than ever. If you stick to what you like and are authentic, social media algorithms just won't like you very much, which is why the majority of these girls look like clones (It's all about the numbers for them, not about actually putting out there what you are trully passionate about). Also, having style means putting together outfits out of things that you yourself chose and bought, not dressing up with what brands are giving you and telling you to wear.

In my opinion, the last real style icons were Christine Centenera, Elin Kling, Columbine Smile, Alexa Chung, Jeanne Damas and Caroline de Maigret. I still look at Christine Centenera's outfits last decade and it's so rare to find someone with such a unique sense of style.

 

[Supergrofatty]

Another element which is underlying a lot of components of the world today is the lack of knowledge/culture.
Many young people just follow what they see on their last social media thread without having a personal background strong enough to have a personal taste.
Maybe a bit harsh ?

 

[Supergrofatty]

In a street up market in Paris, this second hand fashion shop has a "Financial market" sign

 

[Frida]

 

[philophile]

Another element which is underlying a lot of components of the world today is the lack of knowledge/culture.
Many young people just follow what they see on their last social media thread without having a personal background strong enough to have a personal taste.
Maybe a bit harsh ?

It's not harsh at all. I think people with strong personal style get inspired by many aspects of culture, including architecture, design, art, cinema, etc and if you have a background in any of these fields, it is kind of unavoidable to have a very strong personal taste. I think, however, the lack of individuality in today's world and herd mentality are what causes people to ignore their personal taste and this is reinforced by social media algorithms that promote sameness for the sake of visibility and likes. Often, young people or influencers even post about culture (art, design, architecture, music), yet they all post the same exact artists/designers, which kinda proves my point that herd mentality in combination with algorithms that enable clone culture are the main problem.

 

[Nimsay]

I think that there are so many provocative, good or interesting ideas here.

but that bottega bag hanging in the window like that shows no respect to handmade nature of the bag.