You can't really survive in New York without carrying multiple bags. At any given moment, you'll find me lugging around a shopping bag holding an impulse purchase, some kind of oversized tote for my laptop and assorted wires, and a fashion bag that I hope offsets the chaos of the rest of my appearance.
I try to shed my bag layers when I want to look nice for a fashion show or a dinner. But the thing about New York is that sometimes, it beats you down. And sometimes, I have no choice but to bring a workday's worth of stuff to an event where everyone else is holding bags the size of their palms. When this happens, I always feel frazzled and self-conscious, apologizing to everyone within a ten-foot radius as if showing evidence of a busy life is somehow shameful. But yesterday, Mrs. Prada made me reconsider.
Victor Virgile
Victor Virgile
At Miu Miu's Spring 2024 show in Paris, models carried unzipped bags overflowing with stuff. This wasn't like those bags that TikTokers teach you how to Jane Birkin-ify by wrapping beaded bracelets and cute teddy bear charms around the handles. These were bags stuffed to the brim with orange socks, folded jeans, metallic heels, and neon lanyards. No bag was fully zipped; most of the models carried them cradled under their arms. It was so distracting I didn't initially realize that all of them were also wearing colorful Band-Aids around their toes and ankles.
Victor Virgile
In the show notes, she wrote, “In an ever-changing world, beauty must echo the complexity of our era: this collection is a search for a reflective definition, a reactive address of beauty for modern times.” The overflowing bags remind us we’re alive at a time where things are a little messy. And perhaps we all need to recognize a stuffed bag isn’t necessarily a bad thing: it means we’ve got places to be, things to do, bright orange briefs to change into.
Victor Virgile
Victor Virgile
At the show, I found myself sitting just inches from the models with my own unzipped Miu Miu Arcadie bag at my ankles—and yes, it had all sorts of life detritus poking out of the top. By the time the fourth model came down the runway with her big messy bag, I moved mine onto my lap and gave it a little hug.
Victor Virgile
Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qa3RqZyrq5KWx6Kt0WeaqKVfm660tMiopWiekai1qrvNZq6enZtkrnWBk2xwbG9nZLqqwYymoK5lo6W%2FqrrGZmlpamRiwLXBxZ%2BcnWWSlrS0ew%3D%3D