Hi all! I love carrying small bags but somehow am never able to pull it off. My small bags include a Gucci disco, a Gucci Marmont small camera bag, a Lady Dior, and a Chanel reissue. However, whenever I try to carry them, I always switch to my speedy 30 or Goyard St Louis because I can’t fit my stuff, namely a water bottle. I tried to bring my reissue to the mall with the kids recently. I ended up losing something of my son’s because I had no place to stash it. In winter, I always seem to have gloves, hat and scarf to stash, and they don’t fit in small bags. I want the small bag lifestyle, but I don’t have the small bag lifestyle! Are there any bags (other than LV Speedy) that are “small” looking (like could be taken out to dinner or to a girl’s night out) but are large enough to hold a water bottle? I was thinking maybe one of those YSL flap bags or something similar? Any recommendations? Thank you!!
Looking for a “small” bag that fits a lot (including a water bottle)
- Thread starter jng2b
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My favorite secretly huge bag is the Longchamp Le Pliage Small. I have one in the classic LP and the Néo, dreaming of a Cuir. Néo and Cuir both have a shoulder strap and short handles so they're easy to lug around especially if you have kids. The Small LP is deceivingly large and can fit a ton. This page on the LC subforum includes a couple of good introductions with pics on what the Small Cuir can fit. The Small 3D is also very roomy for its size.
A Medium YSL College bag might also be big enough?
My favorite secretly huge bag is the Longchamp Le Pliage Small. I have one in the classic LP and the Néo, dreaming of a Cuir. Néo and Cuir both have a shoulder strap and short handles so they're easy to lug around especially if you have kids. The Small LP is deceivingly large and can fit a ton. This page on the LC subforum includes a couple of good introductions with pics on what the Small Cuir can fit. The Small 3D is also very roomy for its size.
A Medium YSL College bag might also be big enough?
I like that expression - “secretly huge” - that’s exactly what I mean! I do have a small LP and I agree that it holds a ton! I grab that one when I want something very lightweight.
What's wrong with using the speedy 30? That seems to fit your items and also many women use it for work, and then after work functions. It sounds like you should maybe stop yourself from looking at mini, toy, small bags and accept that your needs are for something slightly bigger. A water bottle is a tight fit into small bags and takes up a majority of your space - you'll want a bigger bag as soon as the bottle goes in. The YSL loulou in medium looks fairly compact and can hold all that stuff. The Ferragamo bags seem to look small but hold a lot - look at the Sophia and Beky, especially.
Not sure if this is what you would consider a "small" bag, but I recently purchased two bags from Massaccesi that don't seem huge, but can actually hold a lot of stuff. The leather on both bags is soft and beautiful to touch and look at, as is the impeccable craftsmanship and design.
One of them is a Little Athena in Port Merinos leather (I didn't have a water bottle, but I did a "what's in my bag" type of post in another thread) and the other is a Zhoe in Ginger Cuoio Toscano leather (different thread, but I also did a "what's in my bag" post that did include a 20oz water bottle). The problem with water bottles is they take up a lot of room and they're heavy. I found that I had to juggle/Tetris around some of my stuff in order to hold the water bottle comfortably in both bags. That said, though - I know they can get the job done if I do need a water bottle for the day, and both bags are super comfortable as day bags for outings and such.
I don't have mod shots in the specific posts I linked, so I included both here as attachments.
Keep in mind that I'm a pretty small person (I'm 5'2", and have a petite but athletic frame), so even though I wouldn't consider either of these bags "large", they do look larger on me than they actually are.
I do have smaller day bags (mini to small size like Celine Nano Belt, LV Croisette, Polene Numero Un Mini) but I can only use them occasionally, typically when I know I won't be out for the whole day and/or I know having a water bottle isn't super important. The rest of the time - as long as it's not a run-down tote bag I think having a slightly larger bag is fine, especially if you find that your needs / daily usage maxes out the capacity of a small bag.
I would also say that while right now it seems like your lifestyle doesn't suit smaller bags, that doesn't necessarily mean it will stay that way forever.
You might find that in the future, once your kids don't need you to hold their stuff anymore, you'll be able to use your small bags comfortably.
One of them is a Little Athena in Port Merinos leather (I didn't have a water bottle, but I did a "what's in my bag" type of post in another thread) and the other is a Zhoe in Ginger Cuoio Toscano leather (different thread, but I also did a "what's in my bag" post that did include a 20oz water bottle). The problem with water bottles is they take up a lot of room and they're heavy. I found that I had to juggle/Tetris around some of my stuff in order to hold the water bottle comfortably in both bags. That said, though - I know they can get the job done if I do need a water bottle for the day, and both bags are super comfortable as day bags for outings and such.
I don't have mod shots in the specific posts I linked, so I included both here as attachments.
Keep in mind that I'm a pretty small person (I'm 5'2", and have a petite but athletic frame), so even though I wouldn't consider either of these bags "large", they do look larger on me than they actually are.
I do have smaller day bags (mini to small size like Celine Nano Belt, LV Croisette, Polene Numero Un Mini) but I can only use them occasionally, typically when I know I won't be out for the whole day and/or I know having a water bottle isn't super important. The rest of the time - as long as it's not a run-down tote bag I think having a slightly larger bag is fine, especially if you find that your needs / daily usage maxes out the capacity of a small bag.
I would also say that while right now it seems like your lifestyle doesn't suit smaller bags, that doesn't necessarily mean it will stay that way forever.
You might find that in the future, once your kids don't need you to hold their stuff anymore, you'll be able to use your small bags comfortably.