Why we're looking backwards to find the bags we want to carry now.
There is something slightly ironic happening in fashion.
While we're constantly being shown what's new, some of the bags we want most have already lived an entire life before reaching us.
A vintage Chanel flap. An old Louis Vuitton monogram. A Gucci Jackie with exactly the right amount of history. Designs created decades ago suddenly feel more relevant than half the bags appearing in this season's new collections.
And perhaps that's precisely the point.
Great design doesn't really age.
Which is why something new has arrived at BIGGLES. Although technically, none of it is new at all.
Together with The High End Amsterdam, we've introduced a curated selection of pre-owned and vintage designer bags to the BIGGLES wardrobe.
And we may have found our newest obsession.
“The most interesting bag in the room might be the one that's already been somewhere.”
WHEN A BAG BECOMES AN ICON
Some bags have long since stopped belonging to a particular season.
The Chanel Classic Flap, Gucci Jackie, vintage Louis Vuitton monogram styles and other recognisable silhouettes have survived collection after collection because the design simply works.
And time does something interesting to them.
Leather becomes softer. Hardware develops character. Certain colours and editions disappear from current collections altogether. A bag that was once simply a bag slowly becomes a little piece of fashion history.
That's what makes buying vintage so different from buying something new.
You're not necessarily looking for perfection.
You're looking for the one.
PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
We actually like that a vintage bag sometimes shows its age.
A tiny mark. Softened leather. Hardware that has lost a little of its original shine.
They're reminders that these pieces were made to be used, not kept untouched in a box.
Of course, condition matters. But vintage has taught us that beautiful and brand-new aren't necessarily the same thing.
Sometimes a little history makes something even better.
“Luxury doesn't always have to look untouched. Sometimes it looks lived in.”
WHY VINTAGE WORKS SO WELL NOW
Perhaps vintage designer bags feel particularly relevant because the way we're dressing has changed too.
We're mixing more than ever.
A vintage Chanel bag with wide-leg denim and sneakers. Louis Vuitton monogram next to an oversized blazer. A Gucci Jackie with a white tee and tailored trousers.
The bag doesn't need the rest of the outfit to be dressed up.
In fact, we prefer it when it isn't.
That tension between something iconic and something completely everyday makes both feel more interesting.
And it fits perfectly with the way we think about a wardrobe at BIGGLES: old with new, investment pieces with everyday essentials, designer next to denim.
BIGGLES X THE HIGH END AMSTERDAM
We wanted to bring vintage designer bags into BIGGLES, but we also wanted to do it with someone who knows this world.
That's where The High End Amsterdam comes in.
Together, we've curated a changing selection of pre-owned designer bags that sit alongside our fashion collections. Think iconic houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, alongside special styles and finds you won't necessarily see everywhere else.
And that's perhaps the best part.
Unlike a regular collection, vintage doesn't arrive in endless quantities.
There might only be one.
Once it's gone, it's gone.
“Vintage shopping isn't about finding a bag. It's about finding your bag.”
A DIFFERENT KIND OF INVESTMENT PIECE
We use the word investment a lot in fashion.
Usually we mean buying something of better quality that you'll wear for years.
With vintage designer bags, that idea becomes even more interesting. Certain designs have already proved their staying power simply by still being desirable decades after they were first created.
That doesn't mean every vintage bag should be viewed as a financial investment—prices and resale values can change.
But as a wardrobe investment?
Absolutely.
Find a bag you genuinely love, carry it instead of saving it, and let it become part of your own story.
Maybe one day someone else will carry it after you.
OLD BAG. NEW STORY.
That's ultimately what we love most about vintage.
Fashion usually asks us what's next.
Vintage asks us to look again.
At craftsmanship. At iconic design. At pieces we may have forgotten about. And at the idea that something doesn't have to be newly produced to make your wardrobe feel completely new.
So the next time you're looking for a new bag, perhaps don't automatically look at the latest collection.
Look backwards.
You might find something much more interesting there.
“Some bags follow trends. Others collect stories.”
