But, Kate Moss asked Ghesquière for one after the show, and when the top dogs got wind that the trendsetting model approved, they gave the bag the green light. Other immediate converts included Carine Roitfeld (editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris from 2001 to 2011) and Emmanuelle Alt (editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris from 2011 to 2021), two of the most influential and stylish women of that era.
The Motorcycle soon became a fixture on the arm of every starlet, celebrity and off-duty-model – which, pre social media, was the best (free) advertising a brand could hope for. The slouchy tote bag, with its studded hardware, dangling leather lariats, mirror and whipstitched handles, came in every colour imaginable and somehow, magically, went with every outfit. An oft photographed street style and music-festival staple the bag in its many iterations was carried by everyone from the Olsen twins to Hilary Duff and Sienna Miller, to Nicole Richie – who seemed to have one in every colour – and the Hilton sisters.
Eventually, the bag was renamed the City, and has been redesigned, tweaked and rereleased – with the additions of the Day, Work, Neo, Mini, the Twiggy, Weekender and the Velo – been covered in graffiti, and embellished with alternative hardware options. The most famous reimagining was probably Demna's version in 2021: the Le Cagole. A softer, more rounded, and perky interpretation of the vintage Motorcycle bag, with a heart shaped mirror. The name derives from a cheeky French/Provençal slang term for an over-the-top, confident, outgoing girl. Now, as Y2K and the noughties continues to dominate the fashion zeitgeist, the bag has had another reissue, this time as Le City. This new version is very close to the original and comes in a dizzying array of fabrications and colourful hues.
Celebrities, models and influencers are once again (still?) contributing to the bag’s popularity, spotted on the arms of Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Kim Kardashian, as well as newcomers like Rachel Sennott, Devon Lee Carlson and Amelia Grey. And, this week in Paris, the City bag had gotten the couture treatment, being toted down the runway of Pierpaolo Piccioli's couture debut for the brand, encrusted in glittering crystals.
So why is this style so enduring?
The Balenciaga Motorcycle / City / Le City bag has a timelessness, an ubiquity and adaptability – maybe it's the easy lived-in quality the bag, or the lack of branding – or the insane range of colours? (Interesting to note: Balenciaga releases a selection of leather colours per season, which creates a strong resale market for the most desired colour ways, particular embellishments and leathers, etc.) Another reason these bags are so sought after is the leather used to create them. Balenciaga uses a very soft, very lightweight yet durable leather, most often lambskin, that distresses easily and naturally, so as the bag ages over time, no two bags look the same, but every single bag continues to look better.
So while the reasons for loving the bag may differ, what really becomes apparent when you stop to interrogate the Moto/City is that the bag was made to last for decades. Like a great leather (Motorcycle) jacket, it’s been designed to take a beating. It really does look better the harder it's been used. Plus, they're surprisingly spacious, versatile, and add just the right amount of "edge" to any outfit.
(images via Pinterest)