Bags of attitude

Dionna Young, Contributor

The new way of carrying a bag is not to carry it at all, but to 'wear' it with nonchalance, an attitude that the French have adopted so well. Where once we carefully balanced straps in the crook of the arm as a sign of cool chic now it could be the time to even declare handles démodé.

Handles, in the new bag lexicon, are for ignoring. And to overstuff a bag is déclassé - it implies you are a neurotic hoarder. As for clasps and buckles, they too should be left unfastened, like a silk shirt that's just popped one too low.

This delicate fashion nuance was first seen on the catwalk. At Louis Vuitton, models clutched the new range of bags - from day to evening to tote - as if they were sandwich bags, or with the large straps on the monogrammed day bags twisted around their hands and over their wrists, rather than hanging from the shoulder. And lo and behold, further beauties at Chloe were sporting the new Sally bag with its luxury gold and leather chain straps hanging free as if they were an afterthought to be ignored.

Yes, the bags have generally become plainer and more streamlined but the whole notion of carrying the bag as a trophy has been thrown out of the fashion window as well.

But before we get to grips with this new off-hand language of bag chic, it is imperative to look back at what's gone before. Over the past five years, handbags became the 'it', ie, substitutes for our egos. There were inflated dimensions (the gigantic trophy bag that was big enough to sleep in. Where once three bags would do for evening, day, and weekend, we multiplied our stock tenfold and wielded, rather than wore, them. All sense of propriety and modesty was thrown out of the door - in fact, the bag passed through the door before we did.

BE ONE WITH HANDBAG

The way of wearing bags now is in defiance of 'it' and indeed 'big' - we need to be at one with our handbags. And the new designs, rather than being backbreaking, oversexed humpers, are quieter, sleeker and subtler in form. Refer to the malleable sequined and mosaic leather Dolce & Gabbana envelope bags, or the squashy suede barrel by Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton; refer to Emma Hill's clutch for Mulberry, with its short handles.

They can all be tucked under the arm like a newspaper, or scrunched in the hand, chains left swaying like glossy, statement ropes. And in those gestures lie a host of other meanings. In these uncertain times, women are holding their bags with both hands or clutching them under their arms as a sign of modesty - but also a safety mechanism.

There's also a careful balance between showing off and being elegantly casual. The bag should blend in, carried under your arm; it becomes part of your look, instead of being a separate piece with a life of its own. The new shapes by Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs are medium-sized clutches, or bags that work for day and night. It makes the bag less seasonal, less statement which, in a way, is more reflective of the fashion and the present financial climate.

So a refreshing era of bag-wearing has dawned. The buzzwords: refined yet sensual, and although the bag could be deeply precious, you don't need to suggest it is so. Don't overstuff (think of your poor back!), but do unclasp and feel free to ignore the handles, leaving feminine hands to do what they do best: making beautiful gestures.

Dionna Young is a graduate student who studied culture, fashion and decor.