What do celebrities carry around in these seemingly pointless micro bags?
The only place where shrinkage is welcome
A bag of peanuts, used tissue paper, Benadryl, a cheese-shaped stress ball, a pamphlet about freezing your eggs, perfume, makeup, sanitiser, 2 pairs of sunglasses, notebooks, paperback and tangled headphones. My large purse shields my hoarding habits and sometimes, even me, as I shrink under its immenseness, avoiding eye contact. Meaning the micro bags trend that can be seen on everyone from Lizzo at the AMAs, Rani Mukerji at a wedding reception to PC sauntering down the street like it’s her runway, has me quaking in my hoarder-heels.
What do they fit into these micro bags?
Are celebrities cramming two chocolate chip cookies into them, avoiding the hawk eyes of their nutritionists who check paparazzi photos to make sure they don’t cheat on their meals?
Are they using it for their makeup-on-the go stash — i.e the lipstick that multitasks better than your husband, and triples up as blush, eyeshadow and highlighter?
Is Rihanna carrying all the remaining f*cks she has to give in it?
Strangely, the trend harks back to the early 1900s, when micro bags, referred to as reticules, were carried by aristocratic women because they were elegant, and perfectly-sized (for their assistants and helpers to carry the rest of their stuff for them).
While micro bags are seeing a little comeback this season, they made a tiny appearance in Karl Lagerfeld’s Fendi’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection.
Simon Porte, the designer behind Jacquemus, first introduced the ‘Le Chiquito’ bag in his Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection, and pretty soon the Kardashians had kaught up with the trend.
At Chanel’s Resort 2020 show, tiny bags hung from gold-chained belts on models. Now they’re on the streets, at red carpets, and on our minds.
Before you dismiss it as another inane fashion trend, unfit for real people who carry their lives (and snacks) with them, hear me out.
We could actually learn a valuable life lesson from micro bags.
They’re urging you to cut the crap from your life, forcing you to revaluate how much you really ‘need’ things.
Shed your baggage. In this age of excesses, leave behind what weighs you down. Embrace the minimalist life.
If it doesn’t fit in the pinky-sized bag, you probably didn’t need it anyway.
Plus, they’re cute, and the Polly Pocket purses make me feel like a giant.