Why the Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag Is My First Love

Maybe my present lust for the bag is because it was always a gotta-have-it-piece, and at 16 years old in my nondescript New England town, even if I coveted the bag, I could never afford it. Most of the millennial women with whom I have spoken to and have recently bought them share the same experience. Now, with a handful of The RealReal credits and something of a career, the thought of getting one doesn’t feel too crazy to me.

Reasons for carrying the bag may differ, but what really matters is that the bag was made to last for decades. Like a great leather jacket, it’s fashioned to take a beating, and it looks stellar well used. It has stood the test of time. People who were far into their careers when the bag was released say they still can’t seem to get rid of their original ones, no matter how much their style has evolved. There are some stellar stories of editors who keep on carrying the piece until it practically falls apart. Vogue’s Creative Director Sally Singer remembers her now-deceased cat chewing off one of the tassels. “I love the original City bag because it manages to be cool yet welcoming, sculptural yet smoosh-y, and classic yet whimsical,” she says. “My late cat Lolo ate all the fringe off mine before she passed in 2011, but even shorn of tassels, it still looks decadent and definitive.”

Virginia Smith, Vogue’s Fashion Director, once accidentally left a yellow incarnation of the bag in a hotel room, but still holds onto another version that she uses. “Generally, I’m not sentimental about bags. I tend to use them and then move on. But my beloved blue and white cowhide mini Balenciaga City is the exception,” she says. “It’s my ideal weekend bag—the perfect size for a wallet, phone, and lip balm. It’s so worn in places that the hide is spotty, but I tell myself it only adds character.” Vogue’s Archives Editor Laird Borrelli-Persson has recently taken the plunge into actually buying one. “It was a covet bag: A friend out in Connecticut was selling her clothes and accessories for charity, and there was a Balenciaga Motorcycle bag on offer. It was hot pink. I just thought, this is a treasure, and even though it isn’t me, it was finally accessible,” she says. “It’s a collectable. Even after all of these years, it still feels like fresh.”