Balenciaga’s Le City bag, the cult-favorite handbag Nicolas Ghesquière designed in 2001, is experiencing quite the renaissance. But of all the celebrities to sport the aughts accessory of late, Keke Palmer wore hers a bit differently in Los Angeles yesterday. She paired it with an archival piece from Ghesquière’s Balenciaga runway.
Palmer and her stylist Molly Dickson unearthed a fur-trimmed vest from the fall 2008 Balenciaga show. The sleek piece fit the actor like a glove with corset-inspired details that nipped in her waist. Palmer accented her runway vest with a classic Le City in black leather with silver hardware.
Palmer made her Balenciaga vest party-worthy by pairing it with a mini skirt and Louboutin heels. When the all-black piece debuted in 2008, it was styled on top of low-waist palazzo pants and light brown heeled boots. While it’s always appreciated when stars stay true to how something was worn on a designer’s runway, it’s just as nice to witness them incorporate their own signatures into an archival piece like Palmer did here. Her addition of the Le City certainly helped her case.
Of course, Palmer isn’t the only star to carry the Ghesquière-era handbag recently. Earlier this week, Bella Hadid (who also works with Dickson quite often) channeled her inner Olsen twin when she wore a brown suede bag with no pants while out in Los Angeles. Hadid’s version of the bag (never-before-seen until she wore it) is part of the brand’s current re-issue of Le City under its present designer, Demna. The likes of Anok Yai and Kate Moss, who was one of the first to make the bag famous in the early aughts, have also been seen carrying the piece over the past few months.
But what differentiates those stars from Palmer is how they went about styling their bags. Most opted to pair their bags with finds from other brands, unlike Palmer who stayed true to Ghesquière’s sleek vision for Balenciaga with her archival vest. Chapeau, as the French would say.
