Room For More

To the bag-wearer of today, compromise is not desirable in terms of on-the-go storage solutions. A heavy-duty hand cream has to go together with a PopMart doll - portable camera equipment is non-negotiable - and there has to be room for some expressions of individuality. As the modern user gets increasingly concerned with the capacity of their carry-alls, Balenciaga whips up the Bel Air - an LA-inspired, functional tote that welds fortitude with forward-thinking design..

- Vanessa Grace Ng

If the true demands of a functionality-first user are revealing themselves in two-in-one phone cases and pocket-besotted cargo pants, what are the baggage category’s storage solutions, and how are they being made luxuriant? The hyper-utilitarian answer lies in a forgotten class of carry-alls, a segment called such for good reason. They may have spent most of the past decade in the shadows of masculine street-inspired crossbodies and hyperbolically minuscule mini-bags; but as modern-day needs evolve, there must be some space to store one’s pocket dolls — and the XXLs are rising to the challenge.