via @laquan_smith
When you become an adult, you very quickly realise what a privilege it is to carry around a clutch or one of Jacquemus’ comically small Chiquitos. It infers that most of your basic needs are currently being taken care of—you do not need to carry around snacks, a makeup bag, a laptop, or a plethora of bits and pieces. Apart from the symbolic luxury associated with carrying clutch or an on-trend tiny bag, there is also the inelegance that comes with the physical labour of dragging around whatever you have stuffed into a large tote, as well as the negative connotations of “baggage”. In contrast, for his AW20 collection, New York designer LaQuan Smith chose to take back the bag lady stereotype, and make a statement out of it.
Paired with sheer bodysuits and lacquered outerwear miniskirts, were two iconic black and white bags reading: “IM MOVING OUT” and “HOE BAG.” The first features the oversized rectangular silhouette of the cheap checked polypropylene totes many of us have used to drag the contents of our lives from one sublet to the next; while the second is a smaller duffle shape, referencing the “overnight bags” that come in handy in the early stages of a relationship when it’s inappropriate to leave a change of clothes, deodorant and toothbrush in someone else’s apartment.
While Erykah Badu may well be right when she sings in her song, Bag Lady, “Bag lady you gon’ miss your bus/ You can’t hurry up, ‘cause you got too much stuff,” but sometimes people have more to carry around than a credit card and a lipstick—and in those times, they’re going to need a functional bag with just bit more room.