This month, fashion has decamped to Europe for men’s fashion weeks. In headline news, there has been a menswear debut from Gucci, where Sabato de Sarno set out his stall as the new creative director; there were hats that aped swimming caps at Prada; and a Fendi collection inspired by the frugality of Princess Anne. There have also been enormous bags.
At Prada, one model wore an oversized suit to match his oversized bag. Over at Fendi, models clutched bags the size of large takeaway pizza boxes. At Gucci, meanwhile, the new “bassotto” bag was apparently inspired by De Sarno’s dachshund Luce – but bigger and elongated. At JW Anderson, an enormous bag was decorated with a picture of a handsome green-eyed cat. And then there was the most talked-about show of Pitti Uomo, the men’s fashion event in Florence, where the Harry Styles-endorsed designer SS Daley had models carry a gamut of very big bags.
These huge bags on the catwalk follow a recent campaign featuring arguably one of the best-dressed men around: A$AP Rocky wearing Bottega Veneta. The fashion company used paparazzi shots of the star going about his business. In more than one, his business involves him carrying a big bag.
You would be forgiven for not thinking this was a big deal. Of course men carry bags. But, in recent decades, the received wisdom has it that men glide through life with a wallet in their back pocket and a spring in their step, while women cart around the weight of the world on one sore shoulder. So, as someone with a sore shoulder, it feels worth noting this moment.
Before we get carried away, regular readers will know giant bags are enjoying a moment in womenswear, too. But these now come stuffed to the point of being unzippable. The men’s, on the other hand, look a heck of a lot lighter.
The bag and gender nexus is obviously rich with symbolism. In a recent conversation with Lauren Friedman, who has written extensively about the feminist history of the handbag, she talked about the correlation between how carrying objects translates to how society sees you. When speaking about the trend of women carrying bags with items spilling out, she told me: “The metaphor between purses and female anatomy is well documented; so to me, what this trend of a large carry-all bag says is that societal culture at large, which dictates these trends, wants self-identified women to carry the weight of it all, out in the open, all at once.”
If making something out of men carrying handbags feels a bit outdated – a little like the term “man bag” itself – or just too literal, perhaps that is because in the real world, it is. Men carry bags, women carry bags, some are full, some are not. Demarcating between menswear and womenswear also feels a bit old-school. But on the catwalk, optics and the look of the thing is everything and styling these bags without any clobber spilling out is a choice.
As I write this, Paris men’s fashion week is about to unfold, so let’s see where the massive bag goes next. Maybe the next shows will see men on catwalks carrying totes the size of light aircraft. In the meantime, in the real world, we all need ludicrously capacious bags now.
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