Bag lady revival
Mary Poppins vibes for 2025.
This year, my goal is to become a certified bag lady.
I love the idea of carrying a lot of things around with me every day. One of my favorite parts about New York is the idea of leaving your house at 10 am and not returning until 10 pm, requiring your bag to be perfectly curated to hold everything you may need along the way.
Beyond the usual gum or lip gloss, I want to be able to provide my friends (and myself) with necessities unforeseen—a hairbrush, chopsticks, blush, a Monchhichi for emotional support—you name it.
In order to achieve this in time for the new year, I needed to acquire two very important bags: a new work carryall, and something little and bitchy for going out. Christmas was the vessel through which I saw this possible, and for which I’m very grateful.
The first came in the form of the Coach Empire 40, Coach’s quirkier version of The Row’s Margaux. I clocked it during their Fall 2024 runway show, and immediately knew that I wanted it. The glovetanned leather supple and full and designed to appreciate over time, made in a perfect shade of midnight blue, perfect to accompany me on my daily commute.
I dreamed about this bag for months before it finally became mine, and I’ve been loving every second of her. I’ve graced her with sardine and pearly bag charms, ready to be Jane Birkin-ified like every other bag living in Lower Manhattan.
This bag has been formative for me in feeling more like a woman than a child. Every classy lady has a companion in the form of a bag, especially in my city. I feel like a real adult lugging this thing around, and it’s great energy to be bringing into the new year.
My second new addition was a purchase I mulled long and hard over. I’ve been following Sarah Brown and her work at Sandy Liang for a while now, and after seeing she launched an accessory company alongside artist Connor Stankard, I knew it was something I would want.
I love their slogan: “bags are cars for girls”. It’s so true. Especially if you live in a city that doesn’t require driving like I do. My friends and I discuss bags like dads discussing Audis, we dream of collecting expensive ones and take them to get cleaned, they hold all of our precious belongings and their details are what draw us in.
After thinking about it since their launch on December 7th, I finally decided to buy their Model C bag in a black they call Tar, designed in a beautiful west to east silhouette that’s truly popping off right now. It felt like a timeless staple, something that I could wear to work or to drinks and everywhere in between, and something I didn’t already own—three very important justifications I needed to make in order to complete this purchase.
I loved every part about buying this bag, and especially love the fact that I got to pick it up the day after purchasing from their studio in Chinatown, a special experience I would’ve never gotten had I just bought another designer bag from any other brand, or bought on SSENSE or The Real Real.
To make you all even more jealous, I bought the last one, edition ten of ten, and I have the card to prove it:
I took my new wheels out for a spin this weekend, and even my dad thought it was one of the coolest bags he’s ever seen. It even has that new car smell, made of precious leather I forced everyone I saw along the way to take a whiff of.
I feel extremely equipped to go into this year with my weapons of choice, these two new ladies in my life. They feel like integral pieces of my wardrobe that I’ve been missing, like the final piece of a puzzle.
Now, I’m off to Br*ndy M*lville to go and replen every white item in my closet, because I accidentally dyed them all pink.
obsessed with the bags …. obsessed w the return to bm
sexy ass bags...i love it