Sit down: Class is in session, and Hamish Bowles, Vogue’s international editor at large, is on hand to tell you everything you need to know about the It bag phenomenon that kicked off in the 1990s, the decade that keeps on giving.
Cult, never-out-of-style status bags (like the structured Hermès Kelly, Chanel’s quilted flap bag, and Gucci’s bamboo-handle number) predate the flashier It bag, which spoke to a new fashion-obsessed generation addicted to fame. The concurrence of celebrity culture with the consolidation and corporatization of luxury brands resulted in a perfect storm for the creation of this portable status symbol, which to this day is the unicorn every brand is chasing. Take the case of Dior’s 1995 Chouchou, for example. When John Galliano became creative director of the house, he had the infrastructure, support, and distribution channels he needed to make a hit. His quilted Chouchou bag with charms went viral after it was carried by the most photographed woman in the world, Diana, Princess of Wales, and was subsequently renamed the Lady Dior. Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) did her part in fetishizing accessories like Fendi’s 1997 have-to-have baguette bag, which sat neatly under the arm like a loaf of French bread.
What the It bags of the 2020s will be is yet to be determined, but you’ll be better prepared to spot one once you’ve been schooled on the topic by Professor Bowles.
Directed by: Andrew B. Myers
Starring: Hamish Bowles
Edited by: Andrew B. Myers and Anita Chao
Cinematography: Ivan Abel
Set Design: Mike Feswick
1st AC: Claire Halloran
Art Assistant: Azza El Siddique
VFX Supervisor: Sam Stulin
Production Assistant: Stephanie Ibarra
VFX: Andrew B. Myers, Matt Christiansen, Sam Stulin, and Ted Wiggin
Sound: Andrew B. Myers
Colorist: Alexia Salingaros
Produced by: Hornet
Executive Producer: Alex Unick
Producers: Ethan Christy and Riley Spencer
Producer, Vogue: Kimberly Arms
Visual Director, Vogue: Samantha Adler
Archive Editor: Laird Borrelli-Persson
Researcher: Paul Gulyas
Vogue Video Team: Max Bartick, Amanda Brooks, Marina Cukeric, Elise DeLoy, Anna Page Nadin, Marissa Price, Robert Semmer, and Sam Sussman
