Dear Bag Snob,
I echo all of the platitudes that have been deservedly heaped on you. My quest in life, is for the perfect travel bag. I travel around the world and I am notorious for thinking I have lost passports, tickets, and have melt downs in airports all of the time. I also travel with my three children who are older, but not old enough to carry their own documents. My requirements are: Outside zip pocket for tickets and boarding passes, inside zip for passports, it must go over my shoulder because I can’t hand carry, must fit magazines, a water bottle, and usual “stuff”, it has to have a fully closeable zipper top, the bag cannot be too heavy empty because by the time I have gotten to the last gate at the airport, my shoulder will be lopsided, and I am always at the last gate. And I’d like it for under $2,000.00.
I am not particular about color. Shoppers haven’t worked for me because things fall to the bottom. I gave serious consideration to Chloe’s Betty, but it is just to heavy. Also, the Chloe store here has the Edith bags in stock….approx $1,300.00 for a med sized one. I am truly desperate, and have a 12 flight summer coming up. I NEED this bag!
Sincerely,
Melanie
Dear Melanie,
At first your request seems like a lot to ask for but trust me, you will LOVE us because we have just what you need.
I of course immediately thought of Prada nylon bags ( the tote is $1195 and shoulder is $560, both available at Neiman Marcus) but that is just soooo obvious.
And as for large bags, there is a-plenty!! The Edith of course as you mentioned, the large Paddington ($1860 at Net-a-Porter) and the Dior Flight ($1800 at eLuxury) are some that come to mind that would fit your needs, but they are all extremely heavy (yes, we know from experience, in fact, my back hurts right now from shopping today).
The Marc Jacobs Diane Zipper will change your life. It has an outside zipper pocket as well as roomy inside zipper pocket, it has thick shoulder straps that won’t slip and this is the absolute most brilliant feature – the entire bag zips to add girth for extra “stuff” that you inevitably collect while traveling. The super soft calf leather makes it lighter than you would expect for such a large bag. All this and it’s within your budget at $1150, plus you get a bonus metallic leather pouch from eLuxury. Get it in natural because white will take an ugly beating with all that traveling.
Yours truly,
The Bag Snob
Dear Bag Snob,
I truly enjoy how you only feature tasteful bags. I feel for Melanie. I’m searching for my first designer bag and my key concerns are size and weight. I understand that good leather is heavy but the Paddington is impossible. I carry half my life around with me so I need a big and light bag like Melanie, with an external pocket for the cellphone. So far, the only light ones seem to be the Balenciaga and the fabric Fendi Spy. I’ll share if I discover new lightweights.
Sue