Are Big Bags Back?

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Early 2000s fashion nostalgia defined trends these last few years; sourced from vintage to archive, Juicy Couture to Ed Hardy, Jean-Paul Gaultier to Blumarine. Trucker hats and mini baguette bags became It-girl staples; but as quickly as the trend cycles change, so do reference points by era. Over the past several seasons, the mini and micro bag shape has saturated handbag trends in a prioritization of fashion over function. However, the cyclical nature of fashion has slowly revived the thought-to-be-extinct big bag. Lugged around by all the It-girl celebs of the late 2000s era like the Olsen twins and Paris Hilton, the oversized maxi shape has been resurrected by various designers on the runway for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2022 season.

The style refers to a large, slouchy, often crescent-shaped shoulder bag with a long strap. It’s a purse-tote essentially, and was championed by late-aughts “boho chic” trendsetters to the likes of Serena Van Der Woodsen. The term “hobo” resulted from a memory of homeless people in the 19th century who carried their belongings in a sack tied to a stick. Whereas the style name was not intended to be derogatory or cause offense, the term today and in hindsight is unsympathetic to the conditions of the individuals who inspired it, and is simply outdated.

The style, however, is not. Since Spring/Summer 2021 and through Spring/Summer 2022, the runways hint at oversized shoulder bags, a drastic leap from mini handbags that covered everyone’s IG feeds. Designers from Bottega Veneta, Chet Lo, Givenchy, Valentino, and The Row presented exaggerated sizes big enough to hold the contents of a duffle. Miu Miu also introduced large totes, and resurrected the late-aughts micro skirt in the same breathe. The space-claiming accessory takes on the spirit of the beloved big bags, once notorious for carrying the little dogs of fashionistas or swallowing a tube of lip gloss.

The soft shoulder totes are rediscovered in the ’20s with clean structure and thick strapping or in special textures of chrome or spiky Chet Lo knits. The bag trend leans toward stylish luggage, which is perfect for any post-vaccination getaway. It also points to a desire to make a major fashion statement via accessories, the purse being a wide medium to explore in gargantuan size and shape.

What will you tote around in your infinite Mary Poppins bag? Perhaps that should be it’s new moniker.

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