The FANNY PACK Is Back. The IT Bag of 2016

There’s a reason for the lack of question mark in the title, and it has to do with a little plot we’ve all gotta game up on. We have to bring this dorky yet badass waist belt bag back (also known as the fanny pack). Don’t you think?

Of course we’re not gonna take ALL the credits for its return, should it happen big time, cause we don’t care abut that. All we care about is strutting down the streets with free hands, cause all of our un-necessary crap is stuffed in a fanny pack elegantly and effortlessly slinging off our waists. That way we can talk better (hello those who talk with their hands a lot), we can carry more shopping bags, we can act so cool with our hands in our pockets all the time, we can dance, we can wave goodbyes to those bastards who’ve lingered too long around, we can mingle and joggle and do so many other things we otherwise couldn’t do by carrying a bag.

Of course we need swag. A lot of swag. Like a ridiculous amount of swag. Otherwise we risk looking like a lost German tourist in bad clothes and a sweaty t-shirt. At this point though, the fanny pack is pretty much the least of his problems. He’s probably wearing sandals and socks so… But THIS predicament is something we should NOT worry about. We flawless and swag-errs. Us girls as well as them boys, as this bag trend is for us both.

With all the fashion razzmatazz we have, I still can’t shake off a simple question: Do we really like the fanny pack so much we want its return? 

And if so, are there any don’ts and fashion faux pas when wearing it? Are there fanny pack trends and styles to covet?

When Alexander Wang sent models down the runway carrying sleek leather fanny packs around their tiny waists in 2014, it was pretty much crystal clear. The fanny pack is back. We want the bag belts, but we want them sleek, redesigned, reinvented, made of leather, suede, blending in into our professional and sophisticated personal styles. No polyester neon zipper fanny packs for us.

Still… trendy and cool as they might have looked, they didn’t stick as much. I mean, sure, savvy sartorials rocked them, the cool kids of the fashion world did too, but the rest of us mortals… we were left in a style darkness, and still carried our massive bags around like totems of the fashion we so worshiped.

If there’s one thing today’s fashion world has it’s the power of celebrity endorsements, or even just their everyday personal styles. So… perhaps when Jared Leto professed his love for the classic 90s fanny pack, or when Sarah Jessica Alba rocked hers we kinda, sorta started to reconsider this once infamous accessory.

I used to LOVE fanny packs back in the day, then I hated them. Now I adore them. Those tiny little bags that look like belts around our waists complimenting our skirts, and dresses, and chic looks… I think they look fantastic. The fanny pack itself is a version of effortless style, but to make it professional through the cut and design, now thats something else.

If you’re sobbing over the 90s, or were too young to do this trend back then, there are the geek-sporty-cool-kitsch fanny pack versions. These actually look fantastic against jeans and a plain tee with a leather jacket. Think of them as a style statement of the past blended with today’s adventurous sartorial choices and the rise of personal style over trends.

Before I go and leave you with some street style inspo, let me just give you some food for thought, and raise yet again another question:

Yes, fanny packs are the new IT thing, and yes we want to feel free, but are we really ready to trade our bags for a hands-free bag belt?

Our bags are more than bags. They’re our whole universe in our hands, on our arms, and backs. Not to mention they act like a shield so many times, when we don’t know what to do with our hands, when we hold on to them as if they’re our last resort to something. When it gets awkward we carry them like those sophisticated ladies and we feel fashionable, empowered, protected by the sartorial shield they give us.

Are we really ready to give that up? Do the fanny packs give us that? They certainly don’t give us enough room, except for keys, money, phone and a lipstick we’re pretty much forced to give everything else up. Or perhaps, we don’t need no shields no more?

What do you think?

Until we get to the bottom of that, if we ever will, here are some street stylers to confuse us a little bit more.

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New York, NYFW FW 2015 day 7

In case you’re sold on this IT bag trend here are a few of my fave picks. Hands-free here I come!!!!

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In case you’re not, I get it. Who the hell wants to carry a wallet around their waist all the time. Aaaand give up the the perks of a massive bag. Or even the beauty of a cross-body style.

Let’s talk about this huh?!

xoxo