Everyone gets in on the 'big bag is better' thing
It's certainly not the fault of a fast-food chain. Yet ever since Morgan Spurlock took the burger counter phrase "Supersize me" and made it part of everyday jargon, it has become applicable to practically every fashion trend. Hips have ballooned toward Marie Antoinette proportions, heels are high and soles stacked, gloves reach up to the elbow, and bags have reached almost epic volumes.
No fashion house is immune. Hermès has maxed its classic Birkin to a size so huge it looks as though it should be treated more as a work of art than as a day-to-day accessory. Yves Saint Laurent has introduced the now popular and definitely-on-the-big-side Muse and has a similarly large "Downtown" tote launching for winter. Jimmy Choo has its own squishy but grandiose Ramona. Burberry has the Icon, a bag that's practically the equivalent of a small carry-on case, and Louis Vuitton produces bags that are almost worthy of mini trunk status. Even Devi Kroell, the leader of the stealth handbag brigade, makes a bag that measures 40x50cm
But is this good? Bigger is, after all, not always better. Indeed, recently there was a spate of fashion editors self-diagnosing "Mulberry Shoulder" after weeks of carrying some of the most popular (and heavy) bags in the business around the various ready-to-wear capitals. Stuart Vevers at Mulberry confirms that the heaviness of their bags is something the house has examined. "There's a process called skiving that trims leather down, so if you want to make a bigger bag it makes it a little bit lighter," he says, and the house now offers their popular bags in a variety of leather weights. Meanwhile, the hugeness of many of today's bags can also have the unfortunate side-effect of making those on the petite side "look like Santa's little helper," as one fashion editor put it.
Yet, these things are selling. Sebastian Manes, deputy head of accessories at Selfridges, confirms that the store bought oversize bags such as the Vivienne Westwood Jasmine, the Chloe Paddington and the YSL Muse, and "they have sold out in every single colour. Oversize bags are selling really well across the middle and luxury markets." Manes believes that the attraction has to do with the value for money aspect - an oversize bag is "probably cheaper; a normal Paddington would retail at ￡830 but the oversize is ￡1,020 and you could even use it - if you didn't have too many shoes - for a day trip". Additionally, he thinks the trend towards more glamorous travel, and the fact that luggage has featured in fashion shows is driving the desire for larger, multi-use handbags. Besides, he points out, most women like to carry a lot of stuff.
Indeed, according to many designers - and carriers - the rise of the big bag is just a reaction to the demands of women's lives. "The woman of today is an elegant, dynamic globetrotter who wants a chic and refined bag without renouncing the functional side of it," says Diego Della Valle of Tod's.
"It's not a matter of what's trendy," agrees Fiona Kotur-Morin, who despite being the founder of Kotur bags and known for making delicate yet practical evening clutches out of vintage couture fabrics, has recently up-sized with a new staple bag called the Wallace. Reminiscent of an old doctor's case, it is based on something she discovered at a flea market in Paris 15 years ago.
"I tend to like large day bags as I carry my life with me," Kotur-Morin admits. She applies "the elbow rule; if you reach in and go past your elbow a bag is too big and you'll never find what you're looking for." She also says you must be sure to choose a bag with plenty of internal pockets to assist with organising (and be sure you use them).
According to Anya Hindmarch, the only time a bag is too big "is when it starts to break your neck; there's nothing worse than walking around all day feeling exhausted from carrying something heavy. Practicality has to wade in at some point." That means not putting too much into that big bag no matter how tempting; the aim is not to resemble an annoying tourist with a backpack. Still, for Hindmarch there are also emotional reasons. "It makes you feel slender and small; it's something along the lines of men fancy women who walk on high heels as it makes them look vulnerable. It's the same with big bags: they make you feel sexy in the same vulnerable way."
大手袋风行时装界
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当然不是一家快餐连锁店的错。但自打美国新锐导演摩根?斯普尔洛克(Morgan Spurlock)接受了汉堡广告词“超码的我”(Supersize me)，并使之成为常用语之一，它已变得适合几乎每种时尚潮流。时装的髋部正朝着新片《绝代艳后》中玛丽?安托瓦内特(Marie Antoinette)的比例迅速扩大，鞋跟变高、鞋底千奇百怪，手套及肘，而包的体积差不多达到了宏伟的程度。
所有时装品牌概莫能免。爱马仕(Hermès)已把其经典的Birkin增大到无以复加的程度，大到看着更像是一件艺术品，而不像是日常配饰。圣罗兰(Yves Saint Laurent)已推出了新款流行超大号Muse，并发布了类似尺码的冬季款“Downtown”手袋。Jimmy Choo推出了柔软且体积巨大的Ramona。巴宝莉(Burberry)则拥有Icon，这个手袋的体积几乎与一个手提箱一样大。路易威登(Louis Vuitton)生产的包差不多就是个小箱子。即便是袖珍手袋的领导者Devi Kroell，也出品了一款40x50厘米的手袋。
但这样就好吗？毕竟，大并不一定就好。事实上，近来有许多时装编辑发现，由于在各个时装之都背着最时髦（也最沉重）的包，几周后都落下了个又青又紫的肩膀（"Mulberry Shoulder"）。穆宝莉(Mulberry)的斯图尔特?维弗斯(Stuart Vevers)证实，厂家检验过背包的重量。他表示：“修剪皮革的过程被称为切片，因此，如果你做一个更大的手袋，切片就要使皮革变得更轻。”现在，该公司为最流行的手袋提供不同重量的皮革。同时，正如一位时装编辑所说的，在使女性看上去像圣诞老人的小助手时，当今许多手袋的巨大体积都会产生不好的副作用。
然而，这些东西正在发售中。Selfridges配饰副主管塞巴斯蒂安?马内斯(Sebastian Manes)证实，该店购入了诸如维维恩?韦斯特伍特(Vivienne Westwood)的Jasmine、Chloe Paddington以及圣罗兰Muse等超大手袋，“每种颜色的产品都被抢购一空，超大手袋在中级和奢侈市场销路非常好。”马内斯认为，超大手袋之所以富有吸引力，与金钱方面的价值不无关系――超大手袋“可能比较便宜，Paddington普通款式手袋的零售价为830英镑，超大手袋的售价为1020英镑，但你甚至可能在出行一天时使用它――如果你没有太多鞋子的话”。此外，他认为，目前的潮流趋于更为时尚的旅行，而且行李已具有时尚展示特征的这一事实，促使人们追求容量更大的多功能手袋。他同时指出，多数女性喜欢携带大量东西。
事实上，许多设计师和用户表示，大手袋的风靡只是对女性生活需求的反映。Tod's的迭戈?黛拉?瓦尔(Diego Della Valle)表示：“当今的女性举止优雅，活力四射，热爱全球旅行，她们希望拥有一个精致、优雅的手袋，同时兼具手袋应有的功能。”
菲奥娜?科图尔-莫林(Fiona Kotur-Morin)同意上述观点：“这并不是什么潮流的问题。”尽管她是Kotur手袋的创始人，能用过气的服装面料，制作成精巧实用的晚装手包，并以此著称，但她最近加大了新款U型Wallace的尺码。该款手袋令人想起老式的医生皮箱，其设计灵感来自于她15年前在巴黎跳蚤市场发现的某件东西。
科图尔-莫林承认：“我比较钟意大号的日装手袋，就好像我随身携带着自己的人生。”她运用了“肘部原则”：如果你的手伸进去，手袋超过了肘部，那么尺寸就是过大，你将永远找不到自己想找的东西。”她还表示，你必须确定自己选择一款拥有大量内包的手袋，这有助于将东西归类（并确保自己会使用它们）。
阿尼娅?欣德马奇(Anya Hindmarch)表示，只要当“它开始让你喘不过气来的时候”，就说明手袋太大了，没什么比整天背着些重物走来走去、感觉筋疲力竭更糟糕的事情了。“在某些方面，必须注意实用性。”这意味着，不管超大手袋有多诱人，都不要放太多东西进去；超大手袋的目的，不是效仿为背包而伤脑筋的游客。不过，对欣德马奇而言，还存在一些情感方面的理由。“它使你感觉苗条和娇小；因为它使女性看上去弱不禁风，因而符合男性对梦中情人的描述：穿着细细的高跟鞋。它与大手袋一样：它们不仅使你感觉纤弱，还让你感觉性感。”
