Lately, I’ve been thinking about buying my first designer bag. While I have a couple hand-me-downs and secondhand pieces, I’ve never purchased one, brand new, for myself. When it comes to pulling the trigger on a purse, I feel stuck in a state of paralysis. With so many ‘It’ bags out there, and at such a high cost, making a decision weighs heavy on my mind (and even heavier on my bank account.)
Another hang-up: I want a unique bag. I drool over a Bottega Veneta Sardine or a Gucci Jackie as much as the next person, but I’m constantly spotting that classic intrecciato weave or telltale clasp. One bag that’s stayed on my mind since childhood, though, isn’t so much an ‘It’ bag, but a piece of the long-gone Pan Am flight attendant uniform. The case comes in a variety of colors and sizes, but features the defunct airline's globular logo in a funky ’70s font.
While the airline officially shuttered several years before I was born, it was still a somewhat relevant in the zeitgeist thanks in part to 2011’s Pan Am, the short-lived period show starring Christina Ricci and (a then-unknown) Margot Robbie. And, earlier in my childhood, my friend Kate had a doll-sized steward’s bag that she paired with the 1970s American Girl Doll, Julie.
Although I’m hesitant to rep labels, especially those of major corporations, there is some über-cool cultural precedent with the Pan Am bag. It was popular with some of the most major acts of the last century, from The Beatles to Fleetwood Mac. Recently, as I think more about what kind of bag I would like to purchase, I find myself checking out the vintage Pan Am bags on eBay, Etsy, Depop, and Poshmark.
Not only is the Pan Am bag reminiscent of a time when travel was chic (unlike the indignity of flying that we know today) but it has the exclusivity of a bag that I yearn for, minus the sky-high price tag. Though, that’s not to say that I don’t have Prada and Pan Am on my wishlist.
