19 Bags Vogue Editors Are Carrying During New York Fashion Week

If September’s New York Fashion Week 2021 had a slogan, it would be “On with the show!” After several seasons skipped, editors, buyers, and influencers are back, sitting front row, with their face masks firmly in place. For those who must attend many events, the week is a juggling contest of shows, presentations, dinners, cocktail parties. There is not always a chance to switch up your outfits between day and evening commitments, and there is rarely enough time to grab a snack, touch up your makeup, etc. It all means that everything you might possibly need for the coming day gets thrown into a handbag, and off you go!No one knows this better than our editors. A group of people who, for the next sevenish days, will be hiking from show to show with a bag (or two) swing, slung, or accessorizing their bodies. Do our editors prefer carryall totes? Hands-free crossbodies? Or micro-bags that sit nicely on their laps while seated next to the catwalk?

Below, 14 editors reveal which handbags they plan on carrying this New York Fashion Week. Unsurprisingly, each pick has been made strategically—fashion meets function in this list of handy handbags.

Virginia Smith, Global Head of Fashion Network

I tend to go for a two-bag approach for fashion week: one larger tote to carry everything and a small envelope for running in and out of shows.During fashion month, I tend to alternate between one go-to classic bag and one fun, patterned bag. It’s always a balance between how much I need to carry around with me that day and what I’m wearing.
I carry my By Far mini bag almost every day, but it’s ideal for Fashion Week. It has just enough room for the essentials (including my iPhone 12 Mini; I don’t think a larger phone would fit!) and doesn’t weigh me down when I’m inevitably running to my next show. As a bonus, people always ask me about it on the street—the shape is just so cute!
An annual reminder that the “no white after Labor Day” is a nonsensical rule—especially when it comes to this Mark Cross hobo bag. Functional enough to fit all my essentials (phone! keys! wallet! lipstick! pen!) yet not clunky enough to be a nuisance, it pairs perfectly with, well, everything in my wardrobe—like the plain white tee of purses. Which, considering I’ll be doing a lot of day-to-night changes this week, is an essential quality.

When I’m covering backstage beauty and the behind-the-scene of Fashion Week, I need free hands and laptop access while I’m hard at work (or lurk, as I like to say!). Clé de Peau Beauté monogrammed this foldable nylon Paravel backpack (made in a way that isn’t environmentally embarrassing) as a gift that I’ve been carrying from New York to Paris for fashion month. It’s feather-light and slippery as satin, so I can move like the wind. When another bag broke while I was waiting for an Uber, I had this one inside and swapped every single item without missing my ride.