I think of a classic, ‘original’ version of a hobo as something like this: usually a larger, generally less structured bag with sides that gradually merge into a single strap, overall creating a circular shape around the shoulder, if you will.
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In a discussion in another thread, people spoke of a hobo as ‘hugging’ the wearer, i.e. that is a particular characteristic of the shape.
From these perspectives, one might argue that the Celine Ava and the
Coach Kleo Hobo:
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are not really ‘hobos’ in the classic sense… they have the circular effect but they are small, sit
right under the armpit, and are quite structured. And to the latter point, no hugging involved
Someone else in a thread a day or so ago referred to this style as a ‘crescent’ bag which I thought seemed like a good description.
Whatever terms come to mind when one sees the former style versus the latter, I would argue that both are relatively classic and just wane in and out of popularity. For myself, I’d call the latter slightly more trendy because it’s certainly true that it has
not been a shape produced as commonly over the past decade and obviously all of a sudden every designer/brand has a variation. Overall it’s probably the inevitable reversal of the crossbody obsession that has been going on for so long.
But neither of these styles are at risk of being outdated at some point like for example, micro bags. There’s going to come a time someday soon when everyone goes ‘what the heck were we thinking’ with micro bags, lol.
