Some luxury-fashion enthusiasts have criticized women who carry cosmetic cases and travel pouches as everyday handbags, arguing that the items were not designed to be purses and that using them this way looks tacky. The trend includes Hermès Bride-a-Brac pouches and Bolide cosmetic cases, as well as Chanel makeup bags.
The criticism overlooks how practical some of these designs can be. The Hermès Bride-a-Brac was created as a wash bag or travel pouch, with a structured canvas body and a wide zippered opening. Its size can accommodate everyday essentials such as a phone, keys, sunglasses and lip products.
Luxury bags themselves have histories of changing purpose. The Hermès Evelyne began as a grooming bag for horse equipment, while Louis Vuitton designed the Noé to carry champagne bottles. Both are now well-known handbags. The article also notes that Jane Birkin viewed the bag associated with her name as an everyday item to be used, rather than carefully preserved as a display piece.
The debate, the writer argues, reflects the exclusivity attached to luxury fashion. Labels and knowledge of unwritten style rules can act as markers of belonging, while repurposing an item offers a way to use what someone owns without adhering to those expectations. The writer recalls being told that a Coach bag was not a “real designer bag,” an experience that made fashion feel restricted by price.
Rather than treating an accessory’s original purpose as a rule, the article frames styling as a matter of personal choice. A cosmetic pouch can become a purse, just as other garments and accessories can be worn in unexpected ways. Its central point is that someone should be free to carry an item they like without needing approval from luxury-fashion critics.
Sources: Cosmopolitan.