Vogue's Liana Satenstein Embraces Tiny Bags, Tracing History from Nasca to Saint Laurent
In a personal essay for Vogue, Liana Satenstein describes her shift from oversized carryalls to a vintage Yves Saint Laurent patent leather black pouch, which she says makes her feel unburdened and more organized. She notes that the fall 2026 runway at Saint Laurent featured models carrying splinter-thin bags resembling wallets, reinforcing the small-bag trend. Satenstein traces the history of petite bags: colorful, print-forward examples from Peru's ancient Nasca community, made of camelid hair and used to hold coca leaves, are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art database; in the late 1700s through the 1820s, women carried small pouches called reticules, which were revived nearly a century later; and in the 2010s, Jacquemus's microscopic top-handle purse, the 'Chiquito' (Spanish for 'little one'), sparked a surge of tiny bags. She concludes that she may be a small-bag person at heart, feeling free from the weight of possessions and worries.
Key facts
- Liana Satenstein wrote a Vogue essay about switching to a vintage Yves Saint Laurent patent leather black pouch.
- She describes the bag as making her feel light and free, carrying only gum, a phone, and lip gloss.
- The fall 2026 Saint Laurent runway featured models with splinter-thin bags resembling wallets.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art database includes small bags from Peru's ancient Nasca community, made of camelid hair and used for coca leaves.
- Women carried reticules from the late 1700s until the 1820s, and these were revived almost a century later.
- Jacquemus's 'Chiquito' bag, whose name means 'little one' in Spanish, sparked a trend of tiny bags in the 2010s.
- Satenstein notes that her usual bags are large, heavy, and possibly the cause of her tilted thoracic spine.
- She concludes that she may be a small-bag person at heart, feeling free from the suffocation of things and tomorrow.
Entities
Artists
- Liana Satenstein
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Gisele Bündchen
Institutions
- Vogue
- Saint Laurent
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Jacquemus
Locations
- Peru
- Park Slope
- Pale of Settlement