I've never looked at any of my shoes before and thought maybe I would like to wear them as a bag. But it seems like designers are very much doing that right now.
First there was the Balenciaga pump shoe clutch, which I have actually worn out for a day. As anticipated, people asked me if I was just carrying around a single shoe. I looked like I was walking around after a night out, cradling half of my outfit in my arms. When I told people it was actually a bag, they were all charmed and amused. Someone even pointed out the sharp heel tip made it a great weapon if I needed. I quickly realized, Why wouldn't something designed for our toes also be great to hold with our fingers? It makes sense when you think about it.
Me holding the Balenciaga heel purse with my dog and a dream
Now JW Anderson has entered the shoe-as-bag chat. Although, its take is not as literal as Demna Gvasalia's. The JW Anderson Loafter shoulder bag very much looks like a bag but also, as its name would imply, a loafer. I first came across it when I saw someone trying it out on TikTok, and now I can't stop thinking about it.
I love and often wear loafers because they are a perfect shoe. They're comfortable but fanciful. When I first got into college, loafers were one of the first purchases I made for my campus wardrobe. They were something I felt I needed for outfits to go to the library. Since they're preppy, they have a scholarly academic vibe to them. And while I did wear them to go to the library as a wide-eyed 18-year-old, I wear them now all the time just for my day-to-day, nonacademic pursuits. They add a bookish energy to any look, which is fun to mix with my more overtly feminine pieces.
But sometimes loafers don't work with what I want to wear even when I really want them too. This JW Anderson loafer bag, though, works with everything. It's the ideal way to add a scholarly element in a way that's more unexpected than a shoe. Much like with the Balenciaga pump clutch, you just don't expect to see a loafer-like bag slung over somebody's shoulder. And that surprise element always tickles me. It makes an outfit even better when there's some aspect of it that gives you pause and makes you think.
I'd imagine carrying this bag would make people envious because it is so gorgeous, but they'd also do a double take as they try to figure out what the bag reminds them of. And it would bring me so much joy to point out how it's essentially a loafer you can carry!
It's not as outrageous as the JW Anderson Pigeon bag, another one of my favorite wacky, weirdo pieces Jonathan Anderson has made for his brand, but it's still got enough quirk to feel different than any other designer bag out there right now. Plus, it's definitely more practical. You could even put a pigeon bag (or a pigeon) in the Loafer bag! And for that reason, it's absolutely number one on my wish list right now.
Shop the JW Anderson loafer bag below.
