The perfect ‘new' handbag? An old one
The world seems to get loopier by the minute, so I am delighted to bring you news of one small way in which it is becoming more sane. In fashion, until recently, the only desirable handbag was a new one. 'It bags' have come in all shapes and sizes over the years. We have lived through and lusted after the Paddington by Chloé, the Bayswater by Mulberry, Gucci's Jackie bag, Dior's Saddle and the Bottega Veneta Cassette.
The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
The bag of the moment has been teeny tiny one season, and sack-like the next. It has been understated and in-the-know some years, brash and statement-making in others. But through every chop and change, there has been one constant: we wanted our bags box-fresh and brand-new.
The dream was gleaming hardware, straight-out-of-the-dust-bag leather, a pert silhouette unstretched by use. But finally, fashion has fallen for the charms of love-worn handbags. As vintage has become a flex, bags that look as if they've lived a life are now seen as status symbols. At Balenciaga, bags on the catwalk now come scuffed and softened. At Coach, they have graffiti scribbles on them. At Bottega Veneta, they have rolled-up newspapers sticking out of them. At Miu Miu they have spare shoes poking out and emergency sweaters looped through their handles.
The new obsession with old handbags is changing the way bags are made and marketed. The hottest bag of 2025 is Louis Vuitton's reissue of a collaboration with Takasha Murakami from more than 20 years ago. The Haribo-bright monogram on white, a Y2K-meets-pop-art take on the brown and gold classic Vuitton colours, looks as good now as it did when it was launched in 2003. I've still got mine from the first time around and the reissue reminded me to take it out of retirement. When I put it away, I remember thinking it was past its best because it looked old – but in our more vintage-enlightened era, I love it all the more for looking as if it has been around the block a few times.
The British film director Joanna Hogg, who made The Souvenir, recently made a 23-minute film for Miu Miu about the life of a white handbag, following it from unboxing to old age. All of this adds up to a radical new perspective: bags don't have to be spanking new to be desirable. This is deeply, wonderfully sane. Because when you find a bag that you love to use, rather than just love to look at, you love it more every day. A new bag is an unknown quantity, because bags only reveal their strengths and weaknesses when tested out in the wild.
Sign up to Fashion Statement
Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved
after newsletter promotion
Some bags turn out to have a Tardis-like ability to fit everything you need without looking as if you are carting luggage around: but you won't know this until you've road tested it. Other bags have an incredibly annoying tendency to suck objects into dark depths so that you can never find anything. A frazzled rummage to locate a ringing phone is not fun.
We need to rethink the way we buy handbags. A couple of years ago, I decided to give myself a Loewe basket bag as a birthday treat. In the store, I asked to see the bags I was considering, and proceeded to decant my possessions into each one to see if they would fit, walking around the store to see if the strap would dig in or the weight would bounce at an awkward point.
The sales assistants were charming but clearly thought I was eccentric. But you wouldn't buy a coat without trying it on over your jumper. Why should buying a bag be different? Still, a new bag is always a punt. And you know what makes a bag more valuable than any designer price tag? The confidence of knowing it will do the job. The battle scars and wrinkles of age don't detract from its worth, they prove it.
The best new bag is an old bag. At last, something that makes sense.
Model: Tomiris at Milk. Styling assistant: Sam Deaman. Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson using Davines and Charlotte Tilbury. Dress, £270, Essentiel Antwerp. Earrings, £37, & Other Stories. Bag, £129, Dune London
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
The white midi skirt is summer's biggest trend - here are 3 fashion editor-approved ways to style it
Warm weather is here, meaning we can finally ditch our heavy knitwear and chunky boots. In their place, we're embracing light linens, floral dresses and one of this season's most-worn pieces: the white midi skirt. Made from floaty fabrics like cotton, linen or silk, the white midi skirt has fast become a staple in the YOU Magazine fashion teams' wardrobes, thanks to its chic minimalism and ability to match with just about everything. First spotted on the SS25 runways at the likes of Miu Miu, Alberta Ferretti, and Alaia, the trend has since made its way into the wardrobes of all our favourite style stars. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh wore a pleated style with boots and a trench at The Royal Windsor Horse Show, while Pamela Anderson embraced a vintage look in New York recently, pairing hers with a crisp white shirt and pointed courts. Read on for 3 easy-to-wear ways to style a white midi skirt this season. The best ways to style a white midi skirt Skirt, £39, River Island; Top, £21, Next; Bangle, £17.99, Mango; Sunglasses, £135, Jimmy Fairly; Bag, £32.99, New Look; Shoes, £45, Monsoon Skirt, £99, Mint Velvet; Jacket, £37.99, H&M Earrings, £15.99, Mango; Bag £14, Matalan; Heels, £32, Schuh at Very To get more of what you love from your favourite Sunday supplement, follow us on Instagram (@youmagazine), Facebook (YOU Magazine) and X (@YOUMagSocial).
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'My cat had a psychic reading and his demanding requests were eye-opening'
With spiritual readings for pets increasing in popularity thanks to platforms like TikTok, Mirror Online tried out the trend with a leading celebrity mind reader, and the results were intriguing Animal psychic Jackie Weaver is renowned for being able to read the minds of pets around the world, and my cat seems to have a sixth sense too. Five minutes before Jackie arrives at my home, the normally laid back British Blue Shorthair is on high alert. Usually to be found hanging out by his food bowl or snoozing in his favourite cat carrier, Humphrey has scarpered by the time the psychic knocks on my door. With animal psychic readings said to be increasing in popularity, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok, Mirror Online decided to give it a whirl and naturally sought out the creme de la creme of experts. Jackie is a celebrity psychic who has done readings for Coronation Street legend Bill Roache's dogs and actor Matthew Rhys' horses - but can she accurately analyse my pride and joy? Luckily Humphrey's nosey side wins out and by the time I've learned all about the psychic's incredible career, he has reappeared - just in time for his reading. It's fair to say Humphrey wasn't too keen on having his thoughts read at first. When he met Jackie, he jumped onto the kitchen table, rolled onto his side looking at her enticingly to lure her in and then, when she stroked him, to my horror he went in for the kill. First came the warning bite before he gave the psychic's hand several whacks with his paw, with his tail lashing away furiously in the background. "You told me you weren't mean," laughed Jackie, as my angry cat turned upside down and much to my mortification, attacked her with his paws once again. Bumpy introduction over and soon they're soon 'chatting away'. "I'm going to ask him to tell me about himself and see what he comes up with," she says, laughingly telling me the first thing Humphrey tells her is: "I do lazy really well". Spot on! Humphrey says he often gets under my feet too which is also correct as he's forever trying to kill me on the stairs. My cat tells Jackie he enjoys it when my young daughter covers him with a blanket and draws pictures of him. He confesses to naughtily tapping her on the head with his paws occasionally too. I urge Jackie to ask Humphrey why he won't sleep in my daughter's bedroom, something she's keen to make happen and he says she'll need to be less hands on and stop talking in her sleep. "He's saying: 'I'm just looking'," says Jackie of the approach he wants her to take when it comes to her endless cuddles. "That's his advice to her." Humphrey says the word "biscuits" to Jackie too, which stuns me because my daughter used to sneak cat biscuits upstairs to try and tempt him into her room, at least until I put a stop to it. Humphrey is childlike himself, Jackie says, picking up on the fact he sleeps in my bed and likes to switch between the top and bottom ends of it. He tells her about his cat pals in the neighbourhood - a "small, cute tabby" who fits the description of my neighbour's cat and a "black and white tuxedo" moggie who pops in occasionally. So how would Humphrey describe his life? "Very easy indeed". His only complaint seems to be about the vet - he's keen to tell me his teeth and ears are absolutely fine and don't need examining anymore. His only ailment, he tells Jackie, is coughing up the occasional furball. The most surprising request Humphrey makes concerns the outdoors, with Jackie accurately picking up on the fact he spends most of his time in the back garden and rarely ventures out front. "Cat mint," Humphrey tells me through the psychic. Our cat used to have this plant in the garden of our old house and it seems he'd like it in our new one too. "I had no idea I was psychic for a long time," says Jackie of how she got started in the business. "I got to my early 40s and got stage four cancer, they only gave me four weeks to live. That was in 2005 and it wasn't my time to go, I had loads of chemotherapy. "At that point I had no physical strength. We had horses and dogs and I booked an animal communicator as a treat to come and talk to them. "She talked to my rescue dog who told her I could communicate too and the penny dropped. She showed me how to do it - when it comes into your head it often sounds like your own thoughts and you have to learn to distinguish between the two." Jackie is busier than ever, with her clients ranging from everyday people to high-flyers and famous faces. She focuses on spirit work and end of life, saying it's most rewarding and most needed. "Animals are so accepting of going to heaven," she says, detailing how she often passes on a dying pet's last request. Jackie has worked with a wide range of animals including horses, dogs, ferrets and even a kangaroo. She recently did a reading for her first bearded dragon. "It said to me: 'My skin's actually soft'," she said. "He looked very spiky on the picture but his owner confirmed the skin on his belly was very soft." Another client was a guide dog who became unusually stressed when his blind owner, who rode horses, took her wheelbarrow over to the manure heap at the stables. "She pulled the wheelbarrow behind her and the dog told me: 'She's not got a guide'," said Jackie. "I suggested she started pushing the wheelbarrow in front of her and her dog was fine watching her from then on." The psychic, who declined to say how much she charges and asked for a donation to an animal charity in lieu of a fee from us, works around the world mainly by phone. She is able to work from a picture of description or even just a description of an animal and is particularly sought after in the United States and Australia. While I tried to keep an open mind about Humphrey's reading I am a natural cynic, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned. Jackie's analysis was pretty accurate and while there were no huge revelations there were takeaways I will put into practie. Above all, by the time Jackie had left I was reassured I have a very happy cat. I can definitely see how her readings bring comfort to people whose pets have recently passed away and with a nation full of pet lovers, can only see the popularity of animal psychics increasing.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
World's 50 Best Restaurants awards: Sydney's Saint Peter named in the longlist for a second year
For the second year running, only one Australian restaurant has been named in the World's 50 Best Restaurants longlist. Josh and Julie Niland's innovative fish-focused fine diner Saint Peter ranked at 66th place in the annual countdown from 100 to 51. It is a move up the ranks from last year, when Saint Peter placed at number 98. 'What an outstanding achievement,' wrote Josh Niland on Instagram. '[Julie Niland] and I couldn't be more grateful and proud of the superhuman efforts of the entire team … Alongside our own team, we celebrate the long list of suppliers, producers and artisans that make [Saint Peter] the special place it is.' The Paddington fine diner relocated from its original site of eight years at the end of 2024. It is now housed in the Grand National Hotel, a revamped boutique hotel also owned by the Nilands. 'Not every restaurant can legitimately claim to be spearheading a movement,' writes World's 50 Best. 'Yet this uber-cool concept from Josh Niland takes the great Australian seafood tradition to previously unexplored heights.' The extended list features restaurants in 37 cities across the world. It is compiled from votes by 1,120 independent culinary experts, including chefs and food writers. This year marks the first time a New Zealand restaurant has placed in the longlist; Queenstone's Amisfield Restaurant ranked at 99. The highest new entry in the 51 to 100 list is Mexico's Arca in Tulum, coming in at 67. Last month Bundjalung restaurateur and former MasterChef Australia contestant Mindy Woods won the World's 50 Best Restaurants' Champions of Change award for her contribution to community through food. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 awards ceremony will be held in Italy on 19 June.
