'It' bags of 2008

By Ingrid Chua-Go
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—The Chloe Paddington, Balenciaga Motorcycle, Fendi Spy, Chanel 2.55 Reissue. A few years ago, these were the designer “it” bags, the ones that gave birth to the almost unprecedented waiting lists to purchase one, and the ones that also spawned a few thousand fakes.

Since then, Chloe has flooded the bag market with so many Paddington bags which made consumers almost despise the bag—the oversupply of the bag as well as its heavyweight “killed” it for many bag lovers.

Fendi “did” a Chloe with the Spy oversupply, and even took it a few steps further by experimenting with different (bordering on exotic) materials like rabbit fur, denim, sequins. People stuck to the classic leather version at the end of the day, and almost abhorred the presence of the Spy mutants.

The Balenciaga Motorcycle bag has since graduated to become a modern classic and is still very desirable with its new, bright colored versions.

And what of Chanel bags? Well, “Chanel is Chanel” is what you’d hear from the brand’s loyal fans who happen to be the younger bag-loving set these days.

The latest designer names that stayed on the lips of bag hags are Prada, Chanel, Goyard, Hermes and perennial favorite, Louis Vuitton.

Prada Fairy Bag. This deerskin bag is a piece of mobile art, featuring artistic paintings of fairies in jewel and earth tones. A recent trip to Paris and Rome cemented this bag’s position as a “winner”—it was sold out in the Prada boutiques! The best-selling style is a top-handled rectangular zip tote that opens right down to its size for easy accessibility.

Chanel 2.55 Metallic Reissue. Chanel’s recipe for success in its classic bag is to create a few more variations in leather and color for the 2.55 reissue. The reissue has gone from distressed leather, to metallic leather, then patent leather; from “diamond” quilts to “crocodile” quilts; and the latest, to “jigsaw puzzle” quilts. Chanel even upsized the bags, making them more functional and covetable now than ever.

Goyard St. Louis PM Tote. Evidence of this bag’s popularity? The brand is not even officially available in the Philippines, but there are already countless people toting this bag proudly. A few come-ons for this cabas are its hand-painted chevron patterned monograms, custom hand-painting of colored stripes of your choice and your initials, its light-as-a-feather weight, and its coated canvas which makes the bag waterproof and very easy to clean.

Hermes Birkin. In the more recent months, there has been continued clamor for this bag especially with its Spring/Summer-y colors (lagoon blue, curry yellow), and despite its hefty price tag. There are nearly 230 Birkins belonging to the bag population in the city of Manila alone.

Why? Its quality is excellent, with hand-stitched details and the absence of imperfection on the leathers used for the bags. That plus the Birkin has undeniably exuded the impression that the wearer can afford luxury. It is a status symbol.

Louis Vuitton Aquarelle Speedy. This is one of 2008’s most anticipated bags, a product of the collaboration between artist Richard Price and Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton. The Aquarelle “watercolor” Speedy is a modified style of the classic doctor’s bag, the Speedy, with a striking red acetate frame and karung (water-snake skin) handles. The more “affordable” version of the watercolor Speedy is also coming out the same time, with handles made of natural vachetta (cowhide leather).

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