Balenciaga goes big once again: this time in the Rodeo Drive-inspired Bel Air carry-all — as spotted earlier this year on house ambassador PP Krit.
To the bag-wearer of today, compromise is not something 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 a 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.
If the true demands of a functionality-first user reveal themselves in two-in-one phone cases and in pocket-besotted pairs of cargos, 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 that is 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, right? — the XXLs are rising to the challenge.
Meet Balenciaga’s iteration, the Bel Air Bag. An escalation in the house’s Los Angeles lore, the Bel Air succeeds the enduring Rodeo as a bigger, badder version of the latter’s already-maximal characteristics. Like the Rodeo, the Bel Air shares softened Nappa leather and a round-edged construction that assimilates it to the breezy nonchalance of LA’s disposition. But lest one is fooled, the Bel Air opens up to reveal more of its propensities as a heavyweight on-the-go companion. As seen on Balenciaga ambassadors PP Krit, Michelle Yeoh and Isabelle Huppert, the model is capable of ludicrously capacious functions and expendable enough for the day — scratch that, the week. It may not be advertised as a weekender tote, but proves to be more than competent with expanding gussets and a deep-set body. Sardonic expressions of utility continue on in belt decorations and notched flaps that conceal an extra outer pocket. (Hooray for more Sonny Angel headroom!)
On its own, the Bel Air reads like any other LA civilian. Coming in black or beige leather, and in gold or silver hardware, it has less fanciful tendencies than other Balenciaga key offerings. But it is what gives it its chameleon-like verve, allowing it to take on characters of a lifetime, and perform well in roles ascribed to it by its user. Best of all, a set of extra-long shoulder handles is affixed to the Bel Air’s body. Good for a user’s comfort, but even better as a roomy expanse for the modern wearer to affix their own declarations of functionality.
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