I Wore the Biggest Purse I've Ever Seen to Fashion Week—Here's What Happened

In New York, we don’t really drive cars, but we do drive ourselves crazy. It’s part of the charm. Everyone swears there’s too much going on for anyone to be paying attention to you. It’s something I have to remind myself when I plop down to dinner with friends, carrying a vintage leather Miu Miu bag with my work laptop, a tote bag filled to the brim with random bits and bobs from my desk, and another miscellaneous brown bag holding something I passed by on the street and impulsively decided I needed to buy—even though I really didn’t. My first instinct is to apologize for my appearance. I call myself a bag lady, and then everyone across from me gestures to a pile of belongings underneath the table. We are all the same.

We drive ourselves crazy schlepping from one locale to another, picking up souvenirs whenever we step outside like it’s our job. It’s hard to carry just one dainty bag if you’re a real New Yorker with a never-ending to-do list. Stuart Vevers of Coach knows this.

Vevers is constantly referencing the city in his collections, and when I saw the spring/summer 2025 show last September, I was enamored with the supersized bags cradled under the models’ elbows. I know he made them for New Yorkers like myself—someone who somehow owns more bags than I care to admit but not one that’s truly big enough for my life.

The models carried extra-large kiss-lock coin purses, some adorned with stickers, others shaped like teddy bears and hearts. The bags were, of course, a little silly. Coin purses are meant to be elegant and fussy. But they also feel outdated in an era where it’s hard to go anywhere without your phone—half of which doesn’t fit inside a standard bag that shuts with a kiss lock.

Vevers’ oversize version made the bag more practical than ever. It also gave the silhouette a childlike whimsy not often associated with old-fashioned purses. You wouldn’t find this in your grandma’s closet, but you would likely see it downtown on someone young and unburdened by the literal weight of the world—because they can put it all in this bag.

During New York Fashion Week, I’m typically quite burdened—constantly—by everything that has been. Working as an editor while attending shows and living in Brooklyn is tough because I never have everything I need with me. I want to look cute and carry my favorite bags, but it’s just not realistic. I knew wearing this bag had the potential to change everything, so I took out a pale pink one for a day to see what would happen.

I was not prepared for just how big the bag actually is. It’s truly big, but somehow also extremely cute. I want to pinch its cheeks. Speaking of, I tested whether my 18-pound pug would fit inside, and she happily obliged. Not only did she fit, but there was also still room for a book or two—and my phone, keys, and wallet. Carrying her under my elbow would be the ultimate arm workout, but it’s nice to know that if she ever wanted to make a truly grand, fashionable entrance somewhere, we have just the thing.

After deciding I couldn’t really take her to a day of shows (despite her persistence), I filled up the bag with the usual things—my wallet, keys, lip gloss, and phone—along with the things I typically have no choice but to leave behind, like my laptop, my AirPods Max, a couple of notebooks, and pens. I even took a quick scan around my apartment in search of something else I could throw in before I was done. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Typically, I have to remove the contents of my bag, repack, or do a sort of Tetris-like dance to see what gets to stay and what has to go. But now, with a bag that could fit 10 times the things I expected, I wanted to do the most.

Thankfully, the bag is also doing the most—visually speaking. After deciding I maybe shouldn’t throw in a large water bottle just for fun (or a can of Poppi or two), I stepped outside. I love to take a walk around my neighborhood before heading off to a show because it’s fun to see the response to some of the more out-there pieces I decide to wear. And this one definitely received the nicest kind of feedback.

In the past, I’ve worn bags shaped like animals—and one that was quite literally just a high-heel pump (the work of Balenciaga, of course). Those have really confused people. But this bag was different.

I noticed people doing double takes, trying to identify the pink leather blob I was cradling, and instead of looking bemused, they just smiled. A lot. Older women, in particular, went out of their way to say they appreciated seeing a bag associated with their youth modernized for today’s generation. Little girls looked up at it with wide, googly eyes, as if it reminded them of something they had drawn or dreamed up. One pointed at it and suggested I must be a princess and that the bag was magic. (I mean, who am I to disagree with her?)

When I went to the coffee shop to pick up something for my boyfriend and myself, the barista joked that I didn’t need a cup holder—I could just put it all in my bag. On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store to grab a few things for dinner and didn’t have to buy a bag or worry about leaving behind my tote. Everything just went straight into the oversize kiss-lock coin purse. I opted to take a ferry to the Diotima presentation, knowing I’d be able to stock up on snacks at the snack counter to keep in my bag for the long night of events ahead.

The reaction the bag received at New York Fashion Week shows was to be expected—lots of editors fawned over it, and others pointed out that we were twinning because they had the bag, too. But what mattered most to me was how this delightfully funny high-fashion item held up IRL. Unlike other runway pieces, it didn’t need a reality check. If anything, it was built for the specific reality of a New Yorker with too much to carry and not enough space to put it all.

And while the bag isn’t available to shop just yet, all Coach bags—supersized or not (though the Shoulder Bag 39 is another great oversize option)—are made for real living. Shop the very best ones below.