Y2K luxury bags that are back at the forefront of fashion

Breaking outdated fashion rules is a favourite hobby of mine. If there is an opportunity to wear tweed in town, mix gold and silver jewellery or rock white after Labour Day, I will be there. More often than not, such archaic diktats are rooted in societal etiquette and quite irrelevant. A piece of guidance to consider is always moving on from your signature style…One of the fastest ways to stagnate is by clinging to pieces you wore, the way you had your hair, or the lipstick shade you chose when you felt you were at your career peak.

Frame Denim founder, Erik Torstensson puts it more succinctly: “When someone or something becomes irrelevant it’s because they hang on to what made them successful. It’s important to remember to change when you are doing well.” This advice may be more pertinent to business but can also be applied to your wardrobe. This constant need to push forward has become learned behaviour and makes wardrobe favourites suddenly feel irrelevant. It’s why we crave change—particularly through fashion—and why even iconic accessories have a use-by date. Except this year, in a rare conjunction of style and sustainability, some of this century’s most-recognisable accessories are seeing a wild revival.

If you wore a certain style the first time round, fashion agony aunts advise you to steer clear of the comeback. But as Y2K fashion steamrollers all other trends, there is one millennial mode I will resuscitate from my archive and wear again with joy. As the era was way before my professional pinnacle, I feel fully justified in my adoption of early Naughties It-bags. The must-have arm candy of Y2K fame, carried in the crook of our arms, have been unpacked from attics and storage crates across the globe and are once again forming the focus of the most stylish outfits. 

The bag at the forefront of the revival? The Balenciaga Motorcycle bag. Launched in 2001, under Nicolas Ghesquière’s tenure as Creative Director, the bag had a certain insouciance. The Motorcycle didn’t have bold logos like Louis Vuitton’s cult collaboration with Takashi Murakami—but it was instantly recognisable, if you were in the know. It wasn’t as fancy as a Fendi Baguette and actually looked better when it had battle scars. You could fit more than just a Motorola Razr and Lancôme Juicy Tubes inside, and it came in a kaleidoscope of sherbet shades. Y2K icon Nicole Richie appeared to have 16 versions, but I loved the edgier black and charcoal tones. Sienna Miller sported it too (she carried graphite grey or one in red) while Kate Moss and Carine Roitfeld chose classic black.

I yearned for one so deeply but it was out of my fashion assistant salary’s reach—I told you I wasn’t at my peak. However the Motocycle badgered my brain for space and peppered my conversations. I delighted my husband with tales of its coolness so many times he even incorporated a mention of Balenciaga bags into his wedding speech. Batwing sleeves were included too, but that’s a whole other comeback…

Reader, I got my Balenciaga bag. I adored it, carrying it all over London and beyond for years before retiring it into it’s cloth-bag cocoon. And now is the right time to begin new adventures together.

I pall at the thought of what happened to Nicole Richie’s collection. I’m hopeful they are stored in a colour-coded, temperature-controlled warehouse in downtown LA, ready to be called back into service at a moment’s notice. Nicole would do well to assimilate her bags into rotation again because, as well as my personal infatuation and the fashion world’s mania for all things millennial, the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag is back. As fashion week returned in real life last year, New York show-goers bought their vintage bags out to play. Scored on eBay and TheRealReal, the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag has become the pandemic-proof carryall we’re all craving now.

But it’s not just Balenciaga in redux mode. Prada’s Cleo bag has made a full-on comeback (anything by the Italian house is a cult classic according to every TikToker worth their dance moves.) The crescent-shaped shoulder bag was reissued in 2021 following the boom in desire for Prada’s Nineties nylon bags (which had their own romcom worthy glow-up in pastel shades, bejewelled crystal and recycled nylon versions.) Marc Jacobs’ Stam is another It Bag causing equal buzz to its launch in 2005, and you can also find one for under £300 (₹32,000)—an incentive for Gen Z shoppers who prioritise sustainability and affordability. “We have seen a big resurgence in the popularity of Noughties It bags. (They) are hugely popular with our clients right now,” says Sophie Quy, executive vice-president, Brands at Threads.

Chloe’s padlocked Paddington bag was reworked and relaunched in 2019—although Kate Bosworth, Katy Perry, and Lindsay Lohan loved the style in 2005. The Chloé Betty also filled my millennium-era dreams but the zip-pocketed style remains an under-the-radar find. While the resale market for pre-loved Chanel and Hermès continues to sky-rocket, I found a slightly grubby yet totally authentic Betty on Depop for £25 (₹2,645). After a trip to the Handbag Clinic for a glow-up, I’m proud to tote an authentic piece of Noughties nostalgia on the days I give my Balenciaga bag a break. The Restory have also seen an increase in clients requesting cleaning for Noughties classics hiding in wardrobes worldwide. If you don’t have an original to reinvent, search on Depop, Vestiaire Collective or eBay to find coveted Y2K pieces. When fashion seems to reinvent itself ever faster and new bags are launched seemingly every week, it’s refreshingly insouciant to return to your old favourites—not to mention a brilliantly sustainable option. Welcoming my bags out of the closet feels like a reunion with old friends and nothing beats announcing that you really did wear it first.

This piece originally appeared in the March 2022 print edition of Harper's Bazaar Middle East.

Feature Credit: @2000smodels/instagram

Image Credit: @aeuluxurycollection/instagram