It is the status symbol of our time, or at least this season, because of its size: micro, somewhere between a camera bag and a tinder box, except with a chain and a monogram – in short, the gold standard of pointlessness because there’s room for nothing.
See it as a counter to this season’s (it’s now September) oversized-ness – from Topshop’s longline MA1 jackets and swamping dresses, to Balenciaga trench coats with extra flaps at the front, everything has a too-long sleeve or a extra-wide leg. It’s taken a while for big to shift from accessories to clothes but it’s happened, and while none of it makes sense, its saving grace is the price – £470 is not affordable, but it is affordable for Saint Laurent. £97 for Diane Von Furstenberg is bearable.
Macro is the well worn path with bags. Big, too big, heavier than the sum of its contents, capacious enough for weighty boots and egos, the sort of thing you need a car boot for, such is the size of the thing. The size varies, but is somewhere between 12 and 15cm long. It will barely fit an iPhone 6, let alone a compact, extra socks and a floating biro. Which is sort of the point – the Saint Laurent bag is also known as the blogger bag. Why would they need a pen?
