Your Bag in Paris

Blake Lively, Dakota Johnson, and Jennifer Lawrence revive the Classic Parisian IT bag.

According to Vogue</a>:  'There’s a certain type of cool girl look Parisians have down pat. From the perfect Breton stripe shirt to the classic cropped cigarette trouser, French girls lay claim to some of the chicest staples in a working wardrobe. 

It seems French girls haven't heard about it. Most are quite content to sling a signature cotton bag over their shoulders bearing some company's logo. This Frenchie has 3 bags.

On the other hand the Vanessa Bruno bag is forever.

So is Longchamp classic weekend bag. I’ve gone through 4 of the smaller version.

From a distance I thought this bag had a MAP OF PARIS on it. Just a Jackson Pollock splash when I got up close at Zadig and Voltaire. Big disappointment.

Le Bon Marche has a whole stack of graphic message cloth shopping bags. I saw a French girl carrying a bag that said, "I Forgot Whatever You Wanted" 😂

A NY Rizzoli book bag on the Metro. Trés chic.

For Fashion Week the 'IT' bag you had to have from Bon Marche (11€). I had one…long gone.

Sephora's black and white striped shopping bag always looks chic.

Black and white striped anything looks good in Paris.

Every company has some sort of shopping bag on offer whether free or maybe 5€

You can't go wrong with a cross-over bag.

Especially in bright orange + matching beret.

Louis Vuitton mini duffle works fine if you want to go upscale.

This matching boho couple are not wearing IT bags.

Hers is a simple plain black rectangular cloth bag.

A plastic bag from the super-marché is pas bon 😑 

No IT bag but 3 kiddies in tow is fine.

The 'Doggie Bag' in Paris means something else 🐶 

French dogs Don't Throw Food and know how to behave on the Metro.

Yorkies are the preferred breed to cart around.

So much for spending a fortune on your bag in Paris.

Though this Mona Lisa's mignon Papillon coulda cost a mint.

Stalking Vanessa Bruno

Last Paris trip I had definite plans to acquire the coveted Vanessa Bruno cabas.

French Girl has one of course and *note she's carrying it along side her Pierre Herme bag of birthday goodies.

Macarons + the V. Bruno bag can be seen together all the time, like here inside the PH Vaugirard patisserie on Jour Du Macarons

Evidently anyone with the good sense to love macs adores the V.B. 

Clever Printemps showed the Bruno bag amidst it's Alice display - who wouldn't want this bag? 

Like a stack of macarons waiting... for the addicted at Galeries Lafayette. The newest version comes in leather not canvas and studs not sequins. 

I tracked this young girl shopping with her mom into the Opera Zara. I had never seen a "mini" Vanessa Bruno before!

I know my photo is hanging in a Paris police station. Are they on the lookout for a messy hair/baguette/dog and now Vanessa Bruno bag stalker? Are French "silver bracelets"/hand cuffs more chic than a New York pair?

I chase after a running French girl (with VB bag *note) into the Metro. It sounds insane now that I mention it. I was on my way home too, after a long, tiring day of stalking. By the way, the Metro is a great place for stalking per se, since everyone is mostly distracted and blitzed.

Inside the Metro car can get a bit tricky. Here I'm spotted by a vigilent rider. Well heck she was carrying a Vanessa Bruno cabas. I did want to touch on the coloration of the preferred bag in Paris, which seems to be muted and dull - dove grey or French Girls' blah-claret.

The upshot of all this stalking was, I decided there's too much market saturation. Even Fr teenagers are carrying the thing. And I spotted it in a shop window on Bleeker st last Friday! The final kybosh. I'll stick with my old Fauchon cabas and quit the stalking.

But Macarons - do not let down your guard.

I am on to you encore.

BONJOUR VANESSA BRUNO!