The Chloé Paddington Has Been a Forever It Bag

Welcome to Fashion Flashback, a fashion history column that does deep dives on It-items, eras, or big fashion moments of the past. How did the most iconic items in fashion come to be? And why do they still appeal to fashion fans everywhere all these years later? Today we look at the Chloé Paddington bag, a forever It-bag that was first released in 2005 and was just relaunched this week.

Back in 2006, I was in High School and buying padlocks to attach to bags the way people do with Labubus in 2025.

Let me explain.

The padlock was not something I ever thought much about. It reminded me of the hardware my grandfather would use to lock up a shed in his backyard in Queens. I never in my life thought I'd ever consider something like that desirable, never the less, wear it out in public as a fashion statement. But on Tumblr, where I spent most nights, I could not escape the images of Chloé's Paddington bag. The It bag of the time had just launched in 2005 and unlike other status items of the moment, it didn't really feature a flashy logo. You just knew a Chloé Paddington bag from the big chunky padlock. I never really looked at my grandfather's garage security or a bike lock the same way again. To me, the padlock didn't represent utility. It represented the kind of cool girl status I so desperately yearned for.

Phoebe Phillo, who was Chloé's creative director from 2001 to 2006, debuted the bag at the Spring/Summer 2005 show. The bag had a curved, slouchy shape with short handles and that iconic Padlock in the center.

Quickly thereafter it was spotted on the arms of celebrities everywhere like Sienna Miller, Diane Kruger, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Paris Hilton. But maybe more notable than it's famous fans were it's fashion fans. At the front row of shows everywhere—not just Chloé's—stylish tastemakers opted for the Paddington bag. Wannabe teens like myself frantically added photos of them with their Paddingtons to their moodboards, hoping to one day own a piece of fashion history like them. In the meantime, some of us, fixated on padlocks. But the truth is the bag itself as a whole was it. No matter how delusional I wanted to be, adding the hardware to a different bag would never come close to replicating the Paddington magic.

Years went on and other It bags of the 2000s emerged. The Paddington was still spotted in fashion circles, of course. But it wasn't until the recent online vintage obsession fueled by Gen Z's desire to cultivate a more interesting and unique personal style that it started to really reemerge. Then in January of this year, Rachel Sennott, one of 2025's reigning It girls, was spotted at the Sundance Film Festival wearing a vintage shearling trimmed D&G coat with a vintage beige Chloé Paddington bag. When I saw the photo, it was like seeing an ex I never got over.

Online I witnessed newer, younger fashion fans going into a frenzy over the bag, of which some of them were just becoming acquainted with. Suddenly, it was impossible to find one on The Real Real. Thankfully Chemena Kamali, Chloé's current creative director, brought it out of the vault for the Fall/Winter 2025 show.

It was seen on the runway, held by models like Alexa Chung, styled with the stuff of 2000s Boho Chic dreams, like fuzzy tail bag charms and flowing lace-trimmed dresses. New swaths of famous fans now own the bag like Laufey, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Doechii. And as expected, it's just as iconic as ever.

And now it is officially back, having relaunched earlier this week with a campaign starring Aimee Lou Wood, Kendall Jenner and Meovv's Anna. The images, shot by David Sims in black and white, are also just as Tumblr-reminiscent of the bags themselves.

I actually was lucky enough to get my hand on a new Chloé Paddington bag in a plum purple shade a couple weeks ago. Holding it felt like hugging my younger self who never thought she'd ever be in a position to write this ode to one of the most definitive It items of her childhood; never the less actually hold one. And it was exactly as transcendent as I anticipated.

For me, the magic of the bag is in its weight. It is quite literally weighed down by the hefty padlock. But there's something so satisfying about holding the bag and hearing the padlock clink against the supple leather. It's not the kind of bag you toss over your shoulder and forget about. It's the kind of bag that you are very aware of being present with. And in an era where it's so easy to be checked out or scrolling, it feels nice to hold something that reminds you of the life you're living. When I was holding the Chloé Paddington bag, I was aware of my surroundings—and the envious glares of those who recognized the bag.

The Paddington bag is also a perfect 2025 It-bag because it encapsulates so much of what everyone wants right now. With its chunky charms, it already comes adorned with the kind of personality people try to add on to their bags. It also has the rich storytelling history that draws so many to vintage. And it's slouchy shape gives it that cool worn-in ease people literally scuff up their bags intentionally for these days.

And so now I'm finally an adult who can own the bag of her dreams. But I am also certain that the latest rerelease of the Paddington will also usher in a whole new era of young fashion fans who will long dream of it like I once did; and maybe invest in a padlock charm or two in the meantime while they await their Paddington moment.

Shop the Chloe Paddington bag, below.