Is The New: Vuitton Pochette and Dior Pouch?

About ten years ago, girls in boarding school stole their mother’s Louis Vuitton pochettes, which were kept inside larger handbags to hold makeup, keys, and other travel necessities. The girls transformed the bags into actual purses, often linking a Vuitton keychain into the strap to make it longer and easier to carry.

The new accessories were toted to New York on school break, Patricia Field picked up the trend for Carrie Bradshaw, and now the pochette is such a staple purse, it’s price has jumped about a hundred dollars.

Meanwhile, Dior Parfum has a new product that might take over the pochette’s reign as a junior status bag.

Their latest makeup case comes stuffed with various perfumes, but looks like an extension of their famous ‘05 couture collection, made famous when Kate Moss wore its nude colored corset to the CFDA Awards. (And yes, fashion junkies, Dior’s Spring ‘06 collection had the same lingerie feel as its couture mothership, so the bag could be inspired by that, too).

Anyway, we’ve spotted the Dior makeup pouch clutched by a few prep school girls, and we wonder: is this a 10th grade fad, or the beginning of a new tide…

posted by elizabeth

Jun 05, 2007 10:26AM

Hmmmm...intriguing. I'm inclined to think that this will resonate the most among the Kate fanatics, but its limited-edition nature leads me to believe that though it might temporarily displace the LV pochette (oh, memories of college with the tons of girls who carried these around in their armpits) in popularity, the fact that the pochette is so identifiable (and in LV-world, affordable) leads me to believe that in the long run, it will stay king of the entry-level luxury bags.

Personally, I love collecting the Clinique gift-with-purchase bags--they're perfect for travel and some are certainly chic enough to use as a clutch.

posted by Justine

Jun 05, 2007 10:35AM

I like it. I have been doing it since about 10th grade.

posted by guest

Jun 05, 2007 10:45AM

lol. when i was in highschool i carried my dior poision case as a bag.

i dont think id reccomend it after the age of 18 though.

posted by joana

Jun 05, 2007 2:15PM

didn't you recently buy a Louis Vuitton pochette? how do you like yours now?

posted by Faran

Jun 05, 2007 2:18PM

Sort of.

When I was 19 I bought a Vuitton pochette in London, and then when I moved to New York, it was stolen at a restaurant. After three years, I realized it was no use living without one (and trying to use clutches from The Gap as pochettes instead), so I caved and bought one with an eLuxury gift certificate.

I love it, but the strap recently came unsewn, which makes me very upset because now it looks fake! So I need to figure out if the LV store can repair it, even though I bought it on eLuxury and not at the boutique.

Casey, this is your department...

posted by h

Jun 05, 2007 2:28PM

I will never forget when my aunt bought me my LV pochette. We went into the store and the sales person was clearly agitated by the trend. I wasn't aware it was supposed to be a makeup bag and when I found it in the counter I said "oh that's the one!" and flung it over my arm. The sales person would not stop saying "but that's a MAKEUP bag...." like he'd been repeating it a hundred times to a hundred other private school girls insistant on wearing it like a purse. He just couldn't and wouldn't grasp the idea of it being a purse!

posted by J

Jun 05, 2007 2:39PM

I mean really, what IS the point of living if you don't have a piece of monogrammed leather on your arm that cost a few hundred dollars??

Yikes. I love fashion, so much. I love this blog. Sometimes, though, I think our conspicuous consumption goes too far and my social conscience gets in the way of partaking in these kinds of celebrations of unnecessary wealth.

posted by Jenny

Jun 05, 2007 6:39PM

I AM in 10th grade, and would not use either as a handbag. Extravagant logo flaunting is tacky. Besides, I'm not a fan of tiny purses. There are some girls at my school who will literally just carry a LV pochette (usually fake) as their only bag. What can they fit in there?!

PS- If it wasn't for Fashionista and countless other respectable fashion bloggers, I might be thinking that LV pochettes as purses is stylish- so you have my thanks.

posted by KT

Jun 05, 2007 8:00PM

To be fair, those of us with more sense than money (ahem.) have been rockin' the GWPs since... oh, since the concept of GWP was introduced.

Conclusion: seeing the UES private schoolers slumming it is funny no matter why, or how.

posted by Anna

Jun 06, 2007 10:46AM

My little sister has been carrying a Dior gift with purchase make-up bag on and off for at least a year. She's not getting shipped off to boarding school until September, so she must be ahead of the curve.

posted by yulz

Jun 07, 2007 7:13PM

Many of the sorority girls at my school carry similar bags...if they can't afford LV, they'll go for the tiny Coach bags, but most people here are rolling in cash. Of course, they'll carry the bags while rockin' sweatpants, Ugg boots, and an intentionally lopsided ponytail...the hipper ones will throw on an ugly tunic, some unnecessary over-belting, neon leggings, a headband, bright fugly ballet flats, piles of necklaces and bangles, and disgustingly conspicuous Dior sunglasses.

Personally, I prefer the backpack-carrying college-logo-wearing crowd (or, better yet, our incredibly well-dressed grad students)...money won't buy you class or slightest trace of good taste.

posted by Pimento

Jun 11, 2007 5:02PM

That Dior bag looks like a cheapy make-up bag freebie, but I sorta like the style.

Personally, I think the LV pouchette still reigns supreme. I don't care that its over-exposed. Think it still looks great when I see it on the streets carried as a clutch. B/c it's small it's just enough of a nod to logo trend without looking like you're trying too hard.