I Need It #3: The Anatomy of a Perfect Schlepping Bag
This canvas schlepper has become my carry-all for work, baby stuff, to the beach.
I’m doing an event with Cleo Camp and her famous tops and her newly released bags this Monday, June 23 at 6pm EST at Magazzino on 83 Henry Street, New York, New York. I’m opening this to the public (!)…and, yes, I’m doing a tiny performance à la NEVERWORNS. See you there and have a frosty glass with us. And duh, this is a NEVERWORNS event…you will eat. If you aren’t here, you can buy the bag here on NEVERWORNS Live! Shopping 6:30pm EST.
There is often an issue with those daytime bags: The lack of pockets is a killer. Everything flops around with no rhyme or reason. There’s no organization. One of my favorite bags now has innards slathered in leaked pen and coagulated baby formula. A mélange of foul, curdled mess. The idea of no pockets on a daytime bag is a sin.
Cleo Camp, who is behind the most sensual shirt I’ve ever worn, has a fabulous bag solve. Her newest creation is “The Bateau,” which boasts a fantastic, wide boat shape and is fashioned out of an elegantly thin yet sturdy canvas with an indestructible Kevlar oomph. (The silhouette is based on her New York Times–covered leather bag, The Cleo). Here’s the great part about the Bateau: There are ample pockets. There’s a juicy, deep horizontal pocket on one side that is fastened by a snap button (I shove my notebook in there), while the other side has two pockets, also fastened by snap buttons (my keys go in there, but also perfect for sunscreen). Inside, there is a trusty zip pocket (my wallet!).
As for that chic Cleo touch? The supple suede straps—in Verdant, Maraschino, Sardine, Soleil, Caspian, Chocolate—are interchangeable (!!!!!) and are studded for a Madonna “Don’t Tell Me” Western bite. And these are industrial Herculean snaps. “We tested them with bricks,” says Camp, who enlisted her brother to hold a Bateau stuffed with 28 pounds of the hard clay.
The bag is real life at its finest. Everyday aspirational: utilitarian, useful, and chic. Camp understands clothes because she is truly on the ground. There is no cab-to-door luxury in her creations. She is a set designer in Los Angeles and has to inject haul into her creations, yet she has a background in costume design and loves a flair. She created “The Bateau” after she was frustrated with her set bag. “I have a DeWalt tool bag that is too small for all my tools, and it's constantly exploding,” she says. “My kit bag constantly doesn't zip, and it’s too full of stuff, so I can't even fit my tape ring in there.”
Currently, Camp uses her bag for everything: as a kit bag, stuffing it with tools and props, and when she designs, she loads it with sewing supplies. Going out after work, but doesn’t want to go home and change? She’ll throw in a spare set of clothes into her Bateau. “Since I made the first sample, I’ve been using it no matter the occasion—beach, work, studio, picnic—I’m filling it with things packed for the day until I get home at night,” she says.
Her canvas bag comes at the right time. The classic material is tried and true, popping up every time it comes to beach season. It’s really the durable American G-d’s gift of fabrics. We’ve seen the humble L.L. Bean Boat and Tote, which I have and often use, but unfortunately, it pathetically and massively shrunk in the wash and, alas, has no pockets. There’s the Boatkin, a weathered canvas bag inspired by the Birkin with a price tag of $1200 to $1800 and a six-month waiting list.
Here is where Camp comes into play. She can take the basics, the canvas, that shirt, and add her real-girl eye. I want to wear that bag to deal; I want to stuff it; I want to drag it with me across continents; smush it into subway seats; get it filthy with sand. Clothes for living, not the step and repeat.
The Bateau Bag measures 25” wide x 28” high, including straps, 25” x 17” without straps. Comes with one pair of Chocolate suede handles. Washable base. Colored handles sold separately. See you on Monday, June 23 at Magazzino on 83 Henry Street at 6:00pm.
Drop the link! Must buy! Yeah, I thought the Boatkin was fabulous but $$$ for a good joke.
Love this!