Why the super-rich are downsizing their handbags

Telegraph

4 days ago

It was a moment so scathingly accurate that it slipped easily into everyday fashion lexicon.
Succession 's Tom Wambsgans (played by Matthew Macfadyen) launching an unforgettable takedown of an unwelcome guest's 'ludicrously capacious' Burberry tote in the fourth series of the satirical drama. A big bag, Wambsgans made clear, was an unmistakable sign of a class interloper.
This is a message Lauren Sánchez Bezos looks to have taken to heart, if recent photographs of her on a sojourn to the south of France are anything to go by. Out and about in Cap d'Antibes with her husband Jeff Bezos, the newly-wed wore a bias-cut, cowl-neck dress from Roberto Cavalli's spring/summer 2001 collection, which featured bold shades of blue, pink and chartreuse. But more striking than the psychedelic print was the bag she carried – a micro Lady Dior, which looks like it wouldn't hold much more than a lipstick.
The now sold-out limited edition piece, featuring a Rêve d'Infini motif from Dior's 2022 collaboration with artist Pietro Ruffo, retailed for more than £11,000. But even for those unaware of the inversely proportional size-to-price ratio, the inference is clear:
Mrs Bezos doesn't need to carry anything around with her. It was a point she also seemed to make earlier this year in LA, armed with a £4,350 Balenciaga calfskin clutch shaped like a coffee cup.
Intended to speak volumes through its meagre size, the inconveniently small bag seems to be becoming a strange trophy of the super-rich. 'We see micro-bags as the ultimate flex,' says Matt Heiman, the founder of luxury handbag subscription service, Cocoon.
'They're not about utility, but about projecting a certain kind of ease – the idea that you don't need to carry anything because everything is handled.' At the Bezos wedding in Venice, the Kardashians were pictured taking this to a new extreme; while they carried only an iPhone or Chanel Mini Hoop bag, one of their fleet of bodyguards carried an overspill Hermès Birkin.
The micro bag has had various moments on the catwalk too, from Jacquemus debuting its two-inch Le Mini Chiquito in 2019 to Coperni's 2024 unveiling of the Air Swipe, a bag made almost entirely of air (and 1 per cent NASA-backed 'Aerogel'). O
ther notably small creations include the micro version of Miu Miu's matelassé Nappa leather Wander bag, and a confusing recent swathe of bag-shaped bag charms that ask, why not add a 'Nano Baguette' keyring to your Fendi bag?
The new status symbol
Entertaining fashion moments aside, the tiny tote might be losing something of its power as a stealth wealth stunt. These days, the marker of a certain kind of 'old money aesthetic' proliferating on social media is more likely to be a beaten up leather tote, an overspilling Margaux bag from The Row or anything modelled on Jane Birkin carrying the original Hermès style named after her.
That bag, which its inspiration famously adorned with charity stickers, bohemian beads and bag charms, recently sold for more than £7.4m. For further evidence, see Kate Moss recently making fashion headlines for using her insouciantly scuffed calfskin Hermès Kelly as a beach bag in Ibiza – the direct opposite of the Sánchez approach.
Free-spirited personalisation has re-emerged as a trend in recent years, and there's been a notable swing back towards roomier bags beyond multi-million Hermès pieces.
'We've seen a natural shift towards totes and more structured shapes on the runways in recent seasons at Miu Miu, La Maire and The Row,' says Olivia von Christierson, Net-A-Porter's buying manager .
'Micro bags have been a long standing trend, but realistically, they often mean carrying multiple bags to fit essentials, including a laptop. While style remains key, practicality is becoming increasingly important to customers.'
It's a similar case among those renting bags, according to Heiman. 'We've seen a noticeable shift in recent months,' he says.
'While micro and mini bags are still popular for events, we're seeing a resurgence in demand for larger, functional styles – think roomy totes from Bottega and Loewe.'
This has reached the high street too, with oversized styles dominating the shelves of brands with a finger on the fashion pulse – Cos, M&S and Reformation, to name but three.
It's good news for anyone tired of carrying around a second bag filled with the daily drudgery of Tupperware and trainers, without a Birkin butler to assist. For those who still delight in a little bag, the key might lie in rejecting the micro trophy in favour of something small but sensibly formed. For inspiration, see the Princess of Wales carrying DeMellier's Nano Montreal handbag, Keira Knightley toting vintage Chanel and Naomi Watts carrying Prada's Mini Bucket Bag.
Unashamedly embracing a little silliness with a quirky statement piece is another option – accessories designer Lulu Guinness is an expert in that field. 'People tend to hold their phones separately, or on a chain like me, so the bag can be tiny and more fun,' she says. 'The smaller, the better.' Tom Wambsgans, for one, would agree.