Designer Clothes as... Designer Bags?
It's a bag! It's a shirt! It's the hottest new trend in the designer purse sphere!
Illusion and trompe l'œil moments in fashion have existed forever (recall the majority of Jean-Paul Gaultier's lionized catalog).
However, the refashioning of everyday wardrobe items into functional handbags is less about tricking the eye and more about pushing the limits of reconstructed fashion to the next level.
Still, at first glance, it is pretty hard to tell that these bags are actually, well, bags.
Take, for example, Balenciaga's Spring/Summer 25 shoe box clutch, which looks like it could very well be encasing a pair of mule Triple S sneakers. Trends on trends on trends!
Even existing carry-ables can be turned into new purses, as seen with the Balenciaga garment bag, which is really redefining the term multi-purpose.
Ever the innovator Martine Rose took a sportswear approach to the craze, turning the brand's retro track jackets into crossbody tote bags for its Fall/Winter 2024 collection.
The knotted "sleeves" of the jacket act as the strap, bolstering the realism of the bag, which is not a bag...but also is. Yeah, it's a lot.
For its role, JW Anderson fashioned some real head-turners, designing crossbody bags that largely resembled leather baseball caps. For those particularly inspired by these bags, JW Anderson even has matching hats actually meant for your head.
To say that bags are a big (and thicc) deal in fashion would be the understatement of the century, but churning out the same old tote time and time again can get tired quickly.
The bag-ification of wardrobe staples keeps things fresh, interesting, and delightfully perplexing. Most importantly, it proves that anything can be a purse if you just believe.
