Monsieur Robot presents – Bags

I learned everything I know about fashion from my Mother. While other boys might have been out fishing with their Dad or playing football with their friends, me and my Mum were shopping for clothes and watching Dynasty. I knew more about mink, turbans and drinking champagne in a bubble bath than anyone else at school and to be honest I think that information has done me a lot more good than knowing what the offside rule means. 

As kids me and my sister used to have a running joke about my Mother’s collection of handbags. She is to handbags what Imelda Marcos was to shoes. It’s no joke, she had wardrobes full of them, stacked from floor to ceiling. In fact she has more wardrobes than most people have fingers but then you’d be lying if you said you didn’t want the same thing right?  And while I might have occasionally said “Do you really need another handbag?” I understand now that that was a stupid thing to say. I don’t know much about genetics or biology but I do know that me and my sister inherited this magnificent trait from my Mother – so let’s talk about bags. 

Bags are functional. They have a job to do. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look good…like all good accessories they can make or break an outfit. Ever seen someone in a nice sharp suit on the tube with expensive shoes who’s carrying a ‘Fitness First’ rucksack? A cheap bag will completely undo your entire look. Eastpak do some amazing designer collaborations and make great rucksacks with people like Eley Kishimoto, Raf Simons and Christopher Shannon. As a bag the rucksack has its benefits, it’s easy on your back, but you have to make it easy on your eye as well.

Carrying around my MacBook can cause me no end of trouble. You spend hundreds on the laptop but when it comes to a laptop bag people scrimp… It makes no sense. MacBooks are too beautiful to be put into a lurid day-glo neoprene case. You need to think outside the box. I use this Vivienne Westwood gym bag (stolen from my sister). My MacBook fits inside it perfectly and it looks better than anything you can buy in the Apple store. 

Fashion is about details and bags are a big detail that you can’t mess up. So no more boring bags in black and brown, and no more of same bag every day… Live a little, stand out a bit. As James St James once said “So you have a hunchback…throw some glitter on it, honey, and go dancing” the same applies to bags, whatever you do, just make sure it’s not boring, please.

Words and photos by Warren Beckett