My name is Frankie, and I am a ginormophile. To me size does matter, bigger is better, and girth - as many women have always suspected - is everything. Now drag your minds outta the gutter people, I'm talking purses, not penii here.. though the general gist of the matter is the same!
Now my plus-sized preference is something that has grown on me over the past couple of years, and not solely because I like to keep a whole lotta junk in my trunk, though on work days especially this can be true. I simply love the look of large bags on people, be they tall or short, thick or thin; and I love too how versatile they are. A well-designed large bag should look fabulous whether full or empty, and in a practical sense is especially suited for trans-seasonal months when you might want to keep a cardi handy, and for winter when a larger bag is best for balancing out a large coat and a heavier outfit. It's the perfect everyday bag to take you from work during the week to shopping on the weekend, and can double as a fantastic carryon or even as an overnighter. It will save you the hassles of carrying many shopping bags at once when out and about, allowing you to merrily shop away without your look being spoiled by ugly plastic bags through which may be seen all you've bought, and in doing so plays it's part in reducing unecessary plastic waste at the same time! All the while you can be reassured that the Big Bag will perform it's many functions with style, whilst simultaneously, according to the odd fashion mag report or stylist tip, taking pounds of baggage off you.
The slimming powers of a large bag has been a long-held superstition of celebrities, with the many millions of paparazzi shots of lollipop-thin starlets struggling beneath an enormous tote clear testament to this. Just think of one of those Olsen trolls (they both look the same to me) with her XL Givenchy Nightingale and omnipresent Starbucks Grande, Lindsay with her reversible YSL tote or orange Birkin, Nicole Richie with any one of her dozens of Balenciagas, or Katie Holmes one-upping Posh's Birkin collection with her oversized Hermes HAC. [Come to think of it though, poor pale Katie was probably at that moment making her escape from Tom's tyrannical clutches, and the bag's a clever ruse with which to smuggle out Siri before her brain-washing is complete.]
Kidnap'n'conspiracy theories aside, it takes only a brief flip through your closest trash mag to observe the ongoing love affair that is the celebrity & humungabag marriage,
with even the men getting in on the action. Whilst the validity of any slimming effects might be in the eye of the beholder, I expect another reason for their popularity might be a simple extension of the 'more is more' ethos that celebrity seems to embrace. The thinnest figure, the newest hairdo, the best plastic surgeon and the biggest IT bag seem pre-requisite for any who live their lives backlit by the blinding flashes of the paparazzi, and those big bags are charged with the responsibility of not only holding their belongings (or hiding their children), but with also sheilding baby bumps, hiding bruised faces post- lunchtime lift, and, simply, showing off. These celebs seem to go through new bags faster than Sienna does boyfriends, and upon the release of each designer's new season there's an almighty shuffle as the old are cast aside for the next hot thing, with the only true constant being that the bag be BIG.
As for me, well, since the only flashbulbs in my life are upon the work trucks, and since too I'm rather a long way from fashion's epicenter both geographically and culturally, I simply buy what I like when I find it. Whilst this generally sees me cruising along a few seasons behind the times as that's about when I can start affording them, I am consoled however that most of the big bags I love are still currently in production, albeit of course in a new line of shades or leathers according to 'this season's colour'! Mind you, tagging along behind is a fine thing in itself - I'm
never embroiled in the gold rush to grab what's new before it goes, I don't pay ridiculous amounts of money on a bag that might not take off and will hit the sale stands within a few weeks, and I don't run the risk of purchasing a bag in one colour only to then see a similar but much nicer shade released next season!
The main objects of my desire have lately been YSL bags, particularly the Downtown and Muse. When the Muse was first released I was quite ho-hum about it.. it seemed a great size, but quite plain, though considering I was all about Chloe at the time this impression isn't too surprising! Since then however it's really grown on me, and the latest pocket Downtown even more so. I love the thick, smooshy buffalo leather used, and love too that they're bags sturdy enough for me to stuff full and yet be worry-free. Needing to baby any bag is bad enough, let alone when said baby is half the size you are, so any big bag I feel needs to have big bones to match and these certainly meet that need. I now have one of each on the way, an Oversized Muse in Teak and the Medium Downtown in Purple, both brand-new and beautiful! Whilst perhaps the product of the recent purple craze in accessories, that Downtown is a shade rich and vibrant enough to last well beyond the usual use-by date of seasonal colours, and I can't wait to add it to my wardrobe. Adding a new colour of any fashion item is a great way to look at what you have in different ways, as accommodating such a strong shade as purple (of which I to date own nothing) in such a large piece can really shake you out of the habitual 'usual' outfits everyone has. Now that I've discovered the fabulous Downtown style, I'd love to one day find myself one of the earlier styles as pictured above, which were made of soft, thick deerskin and lined in luxurious suede. A simpler style than the pocket version, their best feature is that matte grained leather which by all accounts melts into a puddle of smooshiness when not unsupported.
Having thusly fallen in love with two of YSL's bags, I've naturally turned my attention to checking out other members of the family. The Rive Gauche is perhaps one of the most perfect and versatile larger bags around, featuring both shoulderable handles and a longer messenger strap. Similarly sized is the Besace Messenger, which too is current line and also selling in two different styles and a handful of colours. Although smaller than the Muse and Downtown bags, these are both still of very decent size, and are currently enjoying huge popularity. Still lacking a grey bag in my collection after moving on the Minkoff MAM, I'm drooling nover the grey glace Rive Gauche and the Croco Embossed Besace pictured.
Whilst the four already mentioned are hugely popular, perhaps newest and hottest right now from YSL is their Easy bag. An understated satchel with the trademark 'Y' upon it's front and shoulderable handles, it comes in enough colours and sizes to fit any hole in your bag collection, and has already been snapped upon the shoulders of numerous celebs
(including every designer's dream endorsement - Kate Moss). The zippered satchel comes in a couple of sizes, small and medium, though as with the Downtown line they're overgrown for their names - the medium is at least as large as the Large Muse! Whilst the satchels are cute I'm especially loving the enormous Shopper version.. reminiscent of the fabled Givenchy Nightingale, this big softy has big handles and a long strap, and comes in both this gorgeous soft tan shade and black. Currently US$2000, it'll be an even longer wait than usual for the price to drop with the feeble Australian dollar on life support right now, but meanwhile at least I'll have my other YSLs to keep me occupied!
