Why I Want a Cheap-Looking Bag—No, Really
Yes, all the handbags I’m eyeing right now are made to appear “cheap.” But while the timelessness of a structured handbag will never be lost on me, it’s the season’s transparent trend that has me actually thinking it might be better to spend less on a bag this spring, not more. Seems counterintuitive, right? Allow me to explain.
Plastic, PVC, mesh, organza. From reveal-it-all trench coats to Chanel’s ubiquitous clear plastic boots, the transparent trend is everywhere we look these days. And in the digital age, oversharing has become second nature. So when we carry a see-through bag, there’s a good chance that what’s inside actually says something about us. Beyond just plastic and see-through bags, there’s actually a larger trend afoot.
Shopper totes, whether plastic, mesh, clear, or logo-filled, are probably the one trend you can spend over $1000 or under $1 on and still nail. Don’t worry—the trend’s irony isn’t lost on us. Once the throwaway bag you used to carry your groceries home from the store or transport your takeout food, the ubiquitous “Thank You” shopper bag has been reappropriated by designers and rendered in materials as luxurious as python leather. So feel free to shop for the designer version or simply carry around your bodega bag with renewed confidence, even though nailing this trend means going against everything we’ve ever been told about investment-worthy handbags.
We love an affordable trend as much as the next person, but there’s actually another, far more impactful, reason carrying a shopper tote is an important choice. Our shopping habits may be slowly harming the planet. In Los Angeles alone, 10 metric tons of plastic fragments (from bags, bottles, etc.) are carried into the Pacific Ocean every day. So a simple choice to reuse your takeout bag actually has a tangible benefit for the environment. Making sustainability a habit and nailing the season’s coolest trend all in one go? We’re here for it.
Now you have proof to show your friends when they question why you’ve been hoarding the bags from your local bodega. See and shop all the iterations of the bag trend below.
So now you have a transparent bag. Will you be curating which belongings you carry with you or simply revealing it all?
Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.
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