Fashion

How Did No One Notice This Famous Under-$500 Coach Bag at the Met Gala?

Paloma Elsesser’s look is living rent-free in our minds.

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Published on May 15, 2022 @ 07:00PM

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Coach Bag at Met Gala — Photo: Getty Images

The Met Gala last Monday meant that, for just one day, everyone on the internet was a fashion critic. It was impossible to scroll through any social media feed and not see dissertations on what Gilded Glamour was and how nearly every celebrity failed to understand the assignment. Joan Rivers may no longer be with us, but the anonymous fashion police of the internet very much are — and they're trying to live up to her 'fashion don't' legacy.

Which is why I'm surprised there wasn't more talk about supermodel Paloma Elsesser's look. It was easily one of the best of the night, all while being extremely on theme; it felt like it could have been lifted from a 1860s painting.

Elsesser wore custom Coach featuring a white silk satin corset top and a long sheer gown underneath, with floral lace details sourced from 1930s dresses and other vintage materials. She accessorized with a vintage Galliano Dior pearl layer necklace. But most interesting, at least to me, was a detail almost no one seemed to notice: a custom Coach Mini Kisslock Bandit bag.

Everyone knows a Coach bag when they see one, and thanks to the label's rebrand in the past couple of years, there's a whole new Coach aesthetic for the new generation. Millennials have their prized Coach logo wristlets, and Gen Z have their Coach pillow tabby bag, which was notoriously sold out for months. Coach's ability to stay relevant regardless of year or generation, no doubt, has to do with its accessible price point. It's one of few household designer names out there that commands respect from shoppers all over the world, but also has bags for as low as $150.

And while Elsesser's bag was custom and can't be purchased, there are plenty of Coach bags that have a similar effect. The influence of the mini Tabby bag is definitely still present, and Coach recently restocked so many different sizes and styles of the bag that went viral on TikTok many times over. Listen, if it's good enough for the Met Gala, it's more than good enough for an everyday look. And that's a fashion do if I've ever seen one.

Shop Coach bags similar to Elsesser's, below.