Advertisement

The big little bag debate: micro minis versus maxi holdalls - the season's hottest handbags are total opposites

Fashion has a reputation for erring on the side of extreme.

When it decides that the Bardot is the neckline du jour, clavicles are exposed across the capital. When it commands that sleeves should be statement, shoulders puff and hands vanish accordingly.

And for several seasons now, the fashion gods have dictated that its most faithful followers swap their sensible-sized handbags for pouches barely big enough to fit an iPhone and an Amex card. And we have dutifully listened.

At Selfridges’ huge accessories hall, mini bags make up a colossal two- thirds of all sales. “The mini bag is now the most popular style we sell, and we have hundreds of options in store,” says Eleanor Robinson, director of accessories. “I think women love them because they feel more special than larger, practical styles. A mini bag is just right to hold your essentials rather than being weighed down carrying more than you really need.”

If you’re wondering what constitutes a mini bag, Selfridges counts a height and width between 10-15cm and a depth of 8-13cm as ideal dimensions. Think smaller than a cross-body but bigger than a purse, with space to fit your iPhone, keys, a bank card and perhaps a lipstick, at a push. Among its current bestsellers is J.W.Anderson’s Mini Pierce bag and Stella McCartney’s Baby Bella, while summer’s fastest- selling mini bag is the half-moon Nile by Chloe. “We sold out of all styles and colours in four weeks,” adds Robinson, and in June the store launched a Chloe pop-up shop in its accessories hall dedicated to the style.

Micro Peekaboo bag, £2,290, Fendi
Micro Peekaboo bag, £2,290, Fendi

Other brands going big on small-scale accessories include Fendi, which offers its Peekaboo and Baguette bags in both mini and even dinkier micro sizes, and Valentino, whose studded camera bags are ubiquitous on the street style scene.

Mini Classico Bag, from £695, Roland Mouret
Mini Classico Bag, from £695, Roland Mouret

This month, Roland Mouret also embraces the micro-bag movement, shrinking his signature Classico Bag down to more diminutive proportions, while cult New York label Mansur Gavriel has added three sunny new colourways to its palm-sized Baby Bucket Bag offering. Clearly, small bags are big business.

But in line with being extreme, fashion also has a habit of contradicting itself. At the opposite end of the spectrum, bags large enough to comfortably accommodate your kitchen sink are also proving to be a hit this season. It began with Balenciaga’s striped leather shopper, a bag so sought- after that hordes of fashion students began ransacking laundrettes and market stalls up and down the East End in search of plastic replicas.

Striped canvas shopper, £35, COS
Striped canvas shopper, £35, COS

High-street purveyor of practicality COS was hot on its heels with its giant red-and-white striped canvas shopper which has proved popular with packhorses and day-trippers alike, while eagle-eyed shoppers may have already spotted that Mango’s spacious monochrome XXL leather shopper is set to hit stores in a new rainbow-striped incarnation this autumn.

Not to be outdone, Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia has given stylish hoarders something else to covet next season in the form of similarly supersized sacks crafted from leopard print fur, marabou feathers and polka dot silk.

Celine
Celine

Celine’s Phoebe Philo — a designer who has launched a thousand bag trends — has also weighed in on the debate with the unveiling of her cavernous and aptly named Big Bag. Due to launch in September, those with the £3,700 required to own such a magnificent monster will be treated with many opportunities for 21st century Mary Poppins moments.

If you still can’t decide whether to go micro or maxi next season, it’s worth consulting Johnny Coca, who has taken the savvy decision to offer both in his latest collection for Mulberry.

Mini Trunk Bag, £250, Mulberry
Mini Trunk Bag, £250, Mulberry

In a bid to prove how far the bag brand has come from the days when its bestselling Bayswater held a monopoly over arm crooks across the capital, its AW17 catwalk collection provided a wealth of bag styles spanning all personalities and proportions, from the super-small to the supersized.

For those who prefer to travel (very) light, its coin purse-sized tiny Trunk Bag comes complete with a hands-free wrist strap, while its generous Brimley Tote is a must for stylish bag ladies.

As for those who prefer to keep their options open, there’s the roomy Amberley Hobo, featuring a matching baby satchel on the front which you can detach when you want to lighten your load.

Size matters - at least as far as your arm candy is concerned.