In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods and her chihuahua, Bruiser, were literally attached at the hip. In the run-up for the Amazon Prime Video prequel series Elle, Reese Witherspoon's mini-me, Lexi Minetree, keeps fetching a Bruiser-sized, under $160 bag from Kate Spade New York instead.
Minetree debuted her new Kate Spade bag as early as June 17, the first day of Elle events. Before raving about the new Prime Video series on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Minetree modeled the Sam Icon Mini Tote with Witherspoon's original 2001 premiere dress.
The micro, top-handle clutch comes in white, butter yellow, tomato red, and aquamarine blue, but not her character's signature shade of pink. So, the 25-year-old chose the $158 It bag in black to match the netting atop her vintage Marc Jacobs midi.
Could the Kate Spade best-seller double as Bruiser's carrier? No, not even close. Its easy-to-clean nylon is certainly pet-friendly, but Elle's fuchsia Bottega Veneta duffle offers more square footage. The square-shaped bag is only 7.3 inches long and 4.8 inches tall, meaning it could hold little more than an iPhone. That's exactly why it's a pillar of evening-out purses—today and in the 1993, when the bag was first introduced.
By June 22, Minetree added another Kate Spade Sam to her press tour wardrobe rack. This time, she and stylist Molly Dickson shade-matched the "Pristine Pool" color to a sequin skirt set from Mirchi by Kim. Still for $158, it tapped into the cool blue trend seen on Simone Rocha, Victoria Beckham, and Tibi's Spring 2026 runways. The New York designer's black tag—the key motif across all Sam bags—returned right below the magnetic closure.
It's no wonder an It bag with noughties roots joined Minetree's Elle rotation. The Prime Video prequel takes place in 1995, almost a decade before the leading lady enrolls at Harvard. Two years prior, Kate Spade used the original Sam to launch her fashion label. It wasn't long before non-fictional fashion plates like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen made it a day-to-night mainstay for VIPs.
Since then, Ayo Edebiri, Gabrielle Union, Rachel Zegler, Joey King, Lupita Nyong'o, and more maintained have maintained the Sam bag's cult-classic status. Now, it's playing a part in the Legally Blonde universe. I'd say Elle Woods and the Kate Spade Sam have lived equally adventurous lives.
Shop the Kate Spade Sam Bag Inspired by Lexi Minetree
