The other day I was talking to my friend Yaminah (who also has a newsletter!) and we both agreed that we needed to form an evening bag committee to get us back in the habit of carrying them. We also would like to bring shame to brands who force celebrities or brand ambassadors to carry the wrong bags on the red carpet in order to sell their latest accessory. (The full look policy is next.) Unlike the wrong shoe or the wrong jacket which can make an outfit more interesting by adding tension, the wrong bag brings undermining awkwardness to an otherwise good outfit. Which brings me to the Met Gala red carpet. There were several instances of this — Louis Vuitton’s speedy bag brigade, a blue Hermes Kelly bag, a Prada bowling bag, and among others. Brands are trying to sell things, that’s obvious, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking it’s a lazy and desperate way to go about it.
We might not wear heels anymore to go out, if we don’t want to, but going out bags are here to stay, in my closet anyways. To wear to the ballet, to see a Broadway show, to dinner at a fancy new restaurant, to a gala, or anytime I want to get dressed up for no reason at all.
Earlier this year, for a piece I contributed to for T Magazine, I did a ton of research on Judith Leiber handbags and became enamored. Even thinking back to Carrie Bradshaw, she might have hated that duck Judith Leiber bag that Big gave her, but mama was a New York City girl who understood the importance of a going out bag. See: Exhibit A, B, and C. Speaking of ducks, I’m obsessed with this Simone Rocha bag.
So, what makes a good going out bag?
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