How the Speedy Bag Became a New Menswear Favorite

One of the first designer items I ever lusted over was a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag. It was the late 2000s, and I was obsessed with seeing the monogrammed handbag on the arms of stars like Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and Miley Cyrus. Every A-lister had one. Like all It bags, though, the Speedy eventually fell out of fashion—deemed a relic of the aughts, a signifier of gaudy Y2K style. But what goes out always comes back in style, and now, the Speedy bag is having a well-earned resurgence—only this time on the arms of some seriously stylish men.

We can thank Louis Vuitton’s Pharrell Williams for the bag’s comeback. For the past few seasons, Williams has given the top-handle style a new feel on the runways—thanks to fresh colorways like springy yellow and deep green. (The classic LV monogram, meanwhile, has remained intact.) Since he’s put forward the new Speedys, everyone from Jacob Elordi—a well-noted bag lover—to Lebron James have been spotted carrying them. Even Williams himself carts it around almost daily.

Photo: Backgrid

Photo: Getty Images

Compared to the Speedy’s first round as a celebrity favorite, (see: Jessica Simpson with her beloved Takashi Murakami style below), there’s something cool and unexpected about seeing it on the arms of well-clad men. For one, men carrying purses has just recently become a thing; now, virtually every It Boy carries an It Purse. But it goes beyond that. Seeing the flashy monogrammed accessory against more traditional menswear pieces, like Elordi’s perfectly-cut jeans or James’s graphic bomber jacket, it has a new feel. The bag feels just a little more nonchalant, a little less trying-hard to be noticed.

Jessica Simpson with a Speedy in the 2000s

Photo: Getty Images