We closed out Spring 2023 fashion month with two very editorial moments for handbags — the miniature Chanel Classic Handbag and the colossal Louis Vuitton Key Pouch.
I have a deep appreciation for both of these items.
The Chanel Classic Flap is perhaps the most perfect handbag — built-in storage for credit cards, ID, and of course, lipstick. It is both formal and casual. I have carried it to sporting events and black-tie galas. In a month marked by micro mini bags on the runway, I think Chanel wins for having the absolute smallest. However…
Some of the handbags carried down the Chanel Spring 2023 runway were so small, I wonder if it’s even a handbag anymore. Yes, it was worn on the shoulder like a standard handbag, but it was downsized to an almost microscopic scale, forcing it to function more like jewelry or a small accessory — if it even functions at all. (Though maybe it will function in the future when we carry even fewer things with us as the world becomes increasingly digital?)
In contrast, Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2023 collection went to the other extreme. The Key Pouch sized up to a giant, oversized clutch, while the iconic Luggage Tag and Clochette Key Bell were blown up to handbag stature. Perhaps it is just mini bag fatigue, but there was something very fresh about seeing these enormous options tearing down the runway.
I have a soft spot for the Louis Vuitton Key Pouch. I was given mine as a gift for high school graduation from my godmother and it is still one of my prized possessions. Seeing it elevated into a jumbo clutch (teetering on the unwieldy and surreal) was delightful.
Then again… we’ve all experienced what it’s like to dig for something important in a bottomless pit of a handbag (annoying, frustrating, panic-inducing) and so I’m not sure these oversized pouches are very functional either.
For now, these dramatically sized handbags feel like art pieces to me. I hypothesize that they’re part of a flash-in-the-pan Alice in Wonderland fashion moment, but something about them feels sticky and covetable for years to come.
What do you think about LV’s enormous new handbags?