Here’s an important philosophical fashion question: Will carrying that new XL Chanel bag that everyone is talking about make me look like a tool? 

If you haven’t yet seen this uncharacteristically large, quiltless Chanel model carefully planted across Matthieu Blazy's seismic takeover of the legacy house, the fresh-off-the-press “Large Shopping” silhouette is already alarmingly popular. Pre-release, it's been spotted on the arms of Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner alike, after premiering at the Belgian designer's debut show for the French brand for Spring/Summer 2026 last October.

The tote is reminiscent of the stature of bags Blazy introduced at Bottega Veneta prior; it's only a matter of weeks until his famously bag-loving, Andiamo-owning muse Jacob Elordi rocks up wearing this structured beauty too. Add this to the broader context of Pedro Pascal, A$AP Rocky and Harry Styles’ recent outings with the similarly capacious Maxi Flap or Chanel 25 — the latter in leopard print, mind you — and you, like me, will be thrown into a full-on frenzy of “to big bag or not to big bag” proportions.

Whether one is blessed with the funds to splurge four to five figures on a bag or not isn't really as essential a conundrum as the modern male's general challenge to zero in on that perfect accessory in the first place. It's a struggle to seek out a bag that isn't a messenger (other than this one maybe), a briefcase, a backpack, or plain tacky; as a man on the go, one of course wants something that can hold office stuff, groceries, gym shoes, or a weekend's worth of underseat luggage. 

Now, for the record, Lemaire's bucket-y design and LOEWE's Puzzle Fold are among some great options, as are Celine's slouchy Romy and smiling Cabas styles, or something as simple as the ever trusty L.L.Bean, even. But seeing folks on my socials Photoshop Chanel's latest It-piece into their selfies, calling upon insiders for access to shop links, or queuing at the physical store in Paris in hopes of finding it there only exacerbates my own struggles with tracking down a worthy successor to my frayed, decade-old Marni shopper. And on top of that, said frenzy exposes a particular strand of consumer behavior.

Lest we forget, designer bags sit in a unique place in the luxury marketplace. Below the tiers of VIP customers who either receive seeded product or are wealthy enough to all-over outfit themselves, there is a valuable target customer base of “aspirational buyers” with the spending power and willingness to purchase a fancy, lasting treat every so often. Conditioned to prioritize practicality over fads, these shoppers can absolutely invest lots of money into something, so long as they deem it as capable of making a solid statement. In many cases, this translates to non-trendy items that are either elegant and durable enough for the daily grind, or exquisite and precious enough for special occasions — read: a good, eye-catching bag. 

And, as of late, we're faced with two choices re: bag sizing. Either you go mini, with just enough room to store a phone, pack of cigs, and your keys (think of Prada's pouches and Timmy's teeny cross-body), or you go Elordi mode with something so spacious that you could sit inside it yourself. The mid-sized, ladies-who-lunch-type pocketbook, meanwhile, simply doesn't excite in the same way.

Unless it's an iconic shape coveted for distinct lore, like the Balenciaga City or Chloé Paddington recently, what barely-fits-a-laptop slash too-vast-for-mere-essentials bag can you think of that is truly cool, at least in a functional sense? That’s what I figured. Though appreciated in theory, size M bag dimensions are neither desirable nor timely. These days, good purses are either giant, hand-held, or dead; The Row's spacious bowling-esque Birkin competitor would know, having been duped, discoursed, and TikTok'd to near-oblivion, for better or for worse. (Call it the Margaux curse!)

Despite the inevitable corniness inherent to guys sporting huge, logo-hardware'd, thousand-dollar leather goods, the baseline gist of Matthieu Blazy (and consorts) here truly moves the needle, in womens- and menswear: Go big or, well, you know. The merchandise Blazy is putting forth, however vacant still of a proper Coco for Hommes, is a sign of the times and answer to peoples’ cravings for extremist bag sizing. It's a move that brings Chanel into the future by honoring a core, founder-era aesthetic of its past: androgyny. And in doing so, the designer has gals, guys and theys frothing at the mouth for what is, ultimately, just another nice big bag. Let's see if it's spared the fate of the Margaux...

Written by Max Migowski, Highsnobiety Shopping Editor

Remember last newsletter's freaky boat shoe? Well, here's an even freakier one, courtesy of CARRER.

Still, the prize for the freakiest footwear of the week must go to ASICS’ Hypersonics though. See for yourself!

In the thick of transitional outerwear season, it'd be silly not to check out Stone Island's Denim Research capsule's sage green overshirt. No, you're not imagining things; it is, in fact, made of the same material used for jeans.

These Lululemon pants don't look like they’re coming from the  Canadian activewear experts, but they're as comfortable as you now expect all soft pants to be. And they come in loads of colors.

When the weather turns warm, we switch into shorts, Stüssy's navy blue or camouflage mesh shorts, to be specific. And with ‘em, these lavender lens glasses.

Or swap out the pant altogether, and go with Paloma Wool's sheer skirts instead, in either basic or embroidered versions, complete with the night-out-sized handbag mentioned above.

Lady White's cotton v-neck is a splendid spring knit, and an extra pair of crisp white tees for underneath never hurt anyone.

Whatever you light up using KITH's gaudy but chic lighter case isn’t any of my business, but whatever it is, I hope it helps you through the week ahead.

By Max Migowski

with Herbert Hofmann, Delia Cai & Youri Chapelle