EDITOR’S NOTE: Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.
This week, fashion editors, influencers and those generally in the business of expensive clothes went green with envy at the sight of Harry Styles. Not just for the reasons one might expect (dashing good looks, fame and fortune) but because he was carrying a maxi leopard print Chanel flap bag designed by the French luxury house’s newish artistic director of fashion, Matthieu Blazy.
It was a loud and proud proclamation that Styles had gotten his hands on one of the most in-demand, status-bestowing handbags of the moment, first unveiled at Chanel’s Metiers d’art show in New York. In short, he was carrying the It-bag du jour.
Since Blazy’s first ready-to-wear collection for Chanel arrived in stores last weekend, the difficulty in acquiring one of his designs has been well documented. “Let me tell you, the iconic Rue Cambon Chanel was A SCENE on March 5th,” Kaelen Haworth, a stylist and owner of the Toronto-based designer and vintage clothing store Absolutely Fabrics, who was in Paris for fashion week, wrote on her Substack. “Shoppers Gone Feral” is how The New York Times headlined their coverage on Monday of customers swarming the Chanel store. Stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who has dressed the first lady of New York Rama Duwaji, described it in her Substack as “mayhem,” noting that her fashionable counterparts were “losing their ever-loving minds” over trying to get their hands on the new products.
Yet, despite the many successful hauls that were consequently shared on social media, Chanel’s soft maxi flap bag was one of the hardest items to acquire (reportedly due to low availability), prompting some customers to question if the brand might be taking a leaf out of the Hermès playbook, where the availability of its most iconic products — particularly the Birkin and Kelly bags — is limited to enhance their desirability and value. All of this lore imbues Styles’ latest outfit with an if-you-know-you-know edge.
When you consider most of the It-bags in history — the Chanel 2.55 bag introduced in the 1950s, the Dior Saddle Bag in 1999, and the Celine Luggage tote bag in 2010, to name a few — they’re usually coveted and worn by women, long the dominant force in luxury spending. But a new generation of male celebrities are making the case for investing in bags beyond the nondescript leather satchels, urban roll-top backpacks, canvas duffel bags that most men have historically carried around.
Fashion-forward men like Jacob Elordi, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams have not just normalized carrying high-end bags but also embraced experimental shapes and styles — frequently appearing in public with brands like Bottega Veneta, Chanel, and Goyard. (Judging by the paparazzi pics, Elordi’s collection is extensive, having been photographed wearing the Andiamo, the padded Cassette, the Maxi Veneta and large Hop tote – all from Bottega Veneta.) Meanwhile, Bad Bunny has a Gucci Jackie 1961 shoulder bag; British actor Kit Connor has an electric blue JW Anderson Bumper bag; and Timothée Chalamet has recently been seen displaying a penchant for mini-purses like his near-microscopic Hermès Kelly in orange and black, and small Chanel metallic crossbody bag.
As more men start to invest in self-expression, bags have become important fashion statements rather than just utility items. When it comes to challenging stereotypes and broadening diverse expressions of masculinity, this is evidently a win — but for women, the competition to shop our beloved It-bags has now doubled.