Bags these days are found everywhere. The shop racks are overflowing with the varieties that are available to us. But are all bags and all brands equal?
Fashion brands like MK (Michael Kors), Rebecca Minkoff, Kate Spade produce bags based on short term fashion trends. They usually focus on what’s in right now, the designs, colours and the overall look which end up making them look all identical to one another. They are not classy, definitely are not iconic and honestly are not that cheap either. For example, a MK bag would at least cost over 10k even if you manage to get it on sale. Now, 10k is not that small an amount for a normal middle class woman. Instead, why not pick a non-branded bag which is aesthetically stylish and don’t have any branding glaring at us. And if one really wants to buy a premium branded bag, then wait up for some time and go for the bags which are timeless.
Today in ‘dream a bag’ SOUL spoke to some of the women having a modest background and asked them about their favorite bags that they dream (a bag) and would love to own one day. The top runners were the Chanel’s Quilted Bag, Longchamp’s ‘Le Pliage Neo (quite affordable as well), Tod’s D Cube Bag and Louis Vuitton’s Alma. Now, everybody would know big iconic brands like Chanel and LV and the bags that have been mentioned have been around for ages and are known for their classiness and heritage.
The Chanel Quilted Bag was launched after the World War II by Coco Chanel, after taking inspiration from the soldiers’ pack and incorporating an extended strap to the bag as she was really tired of having to carry her bag in her hands. The bag is not only polished and sophisticated, but it goes well with everything. The wearer can be a laid back denim lover or a LBD loving woman. What’s more, we can even carry the bag whilst clad in a saree. The caviar leather bag can even outlive us and the bag comes in different sizes (from xs to xl). It is definitely a dream bag and carries a heavy price tag. And what’s more, there are more choices than ever before in the terms of colours and trends yet maintaining their classic iconic styling and legacy.
The Longchamp’s ‘Le Pliage Neo is perhaps the most affordable bag from the list. Longchamp, which is a French luxury leather goods company, was founded in Paris in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain and is still owned and managed by the family. The most popular bag of the company has to be Longchamp ‘Le Pliage’ (21 years old) and chances are bag lovers may have at least of 2 to 3 of these bags in different colours and material. The sturdy nylon canvas body bag, which has sold over 32 million pieces over the years, has become an iconic reminder of the company’s commitment to style and durability for the everyday woman. The Longchamp had reinvented its classic bag once again; the new Le Pliage Neo is made of satin-finish nylon and trimmed with tone-on-tone leather that has a graphic cross grain pattern. The handy shoulder strap is thicker and more padded which helps in carrying the everyday stuff without the digging of the strap into your shoulder. The bags are available in different colours like black, navy, poppy, hydrangea and bilberry. The bags range from 15k to 30k, depending on the size and the edition.
Not many may know this but Tods’ D-Cube Bag is named after Princess Diana after her death in 1997. The bag has been updated in style since then but the style hallmarks are still there like the quality leather, exposed stitching and a clean, classic design that screams luxury without flaunting an obvious designer label. D’s daughter-in-law Kate Middleton has been spotted carrying this iconic bag quite often.
Last but not the least, comes LV’s Alma, which has been around since the 1930’s. The bag was created by Gaston-Louis Vuitton and was originally dubbed the “Squire”, but later on it was christened the “Alma”, after the square that marks where the end of the Avenue Montaigne meets the Seine River. This is one LV bag which women all over have been proud to own and is second only to the “Speedy” in the terms of popularity. If stories are to be believed, it is said that the only other bag Coco Chanel would carry, besides her own, was a Louis Vuitton Alma.
(Watch out this space for some non-branded dream bags option)
4.bp.blogspot.com, eu.louisvuitton.com, c1.staticflickr.com
