Fashion phenomenon Harriet Calo has a curriculum that makes you say ‘vous’. From fashion illustrator to editor at the major Avenue and editor-in-chief of La Vie en Rose, Oog, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan. To name just a tiny few. It was Harriet (you can also call her La Calo) who told me years ago: ”Shouldn't you invest in a good bag?” That's why today we have two showpieces from the La C collection in the lead role.
Two bags? Couldn't you choose?
“They are two bags that are dear to me because they carry a story with them. I love bags and pieces that remind you of something. I bought the Dior bag quite some time ago when I, for the first time in my long career, did not receive an invitation for the CHANEL show in Paris. I was sad about that, and I learned that when you're not happy, you should change that feeling as quickly as possible by doing something nice or buying something for yourself. Exactly at the time of the show, I went to le Bon Marché with you, dear May, and bought this amazing Dior there.".
I bought the Lanvin two days after my mother passed away. Not that the sadness went away, but I also found buying a beautiful bag comforting. I always carry my mother with me; she is in my heart. Through her pearls, from which I had a beautiful necklace made, and also through this bag, she is even more with me.”
These are two. You must have collected a lot of bags over the years.
“I think a good dozen. Or one and a half dozen. Shall we say about twenty? I don't need to count them, right? I have bags that I don't wear in winter and vice versa. My furry Dolce&Gabbana fits perfectly in winter; I like to carry something warm with me. My Gucci Bamboo is a real summer bag. I don't switch bags every day, but I definitely match it to my outfit. Sometimes a bag just doesn't fit a look at all.”
I have peeked, and the contents of your bag are impeccable as the French say.
“In my bag, no layer of hummus; I love to live lightly and don't want any ballast in my bag. During press trips, people often laughed at me. We would get a whole bag of information from a certain brand, and I would throw everything I didn't need into the nearest trash can around the corner from the location. I have nothing to do with junk and want to live lightly. So what's in there? A credit card, no wallet, my phone, a pair of reading glasses, a mint, and a paracetamol, a small makeup bag with toothpicks (very important), a lipstick from Mac, a lip pencil from Clinique, and some powder foundation from Shiseido.”
So you once instructed me to buy a Real Bag (I have obediently followed that advice, by the way). How important is a bag for a woman?
“I urge everyone not to buy a fake bag. That makes you look so cheap. Save for a real one or let something else in your life allow you to afford a well-made bag, but junk? No, we don't do that, do we?".
I always feel a bit sorry for Anna Wintour because she never carries a bag. That is, of course, the height of chicness, no bag, but still. You deprive yourself of a fashion statement, and I find that quite sad for Anna.
More Harriet? We are fans of her blog isntitdivine.com and follow her on Instagram @harrietcalo
