Hands Free

If you want to scoot around town with your hands free and simultaneously add a cool factor to any outfit, you need to get on the Belt Bag trend pronto!

Back in the day, (the 80s to be exact), they were called fanny packs and they were anything BUT cool.  They were relegated to tourists or the sporty crowd, and often had a polarizing effect of “for” or “against”.  As I started researching for this article, it turns out, this accessory item has quite a history and many iterations that date way back before the 80s, like way back, as in the “Stone Age” back. Here is a little history lesson.

So it is hard to believe that here we are in 2018, and this trend has made a huge revival, but only this time, they are more sleek, structured, glamorous and sophisticated and have showed up all over the runways by top designers.

Gucci, in particular, lead the belt bag brigade by appealing to the street style crowd during their Spring 2018 Runway show. Their double GG logo was front and center, as models both female and male, sashayed wearing it slung around their waists, or tossed sideways across their chests. The belt bag at their show was shown worn over a blazer, a trench coat, a tulle gown, a printed leather dress and causally slung over jeans. Every outfit was amplified and rendered cooler with the addition of this accessory, also proof of its versatility.

Have no fear though, Gucci is not the only one hopping on this trend.  There are plenty of options for every look and budget.

Other designers like Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Zimmerman and Balenciaga had fresh, drool worthy versions.

Also, there are sporty and nylon versions from Fenty by Puma, Prada, Herschel and Supreme.

Check out some inspo from the runway to the street on how to style.

If you still cannot get the Gucci Spring show out of your head, (um, that would be me!), head over to Top Shop or Zara for inspired versions that will give you the look without the investment.

And remember, whether you call it a belt bag, a fanny back, a bum bag (the Brits), le banana (the French), or the hip pack….the main thing beyond any aesthetics, is our hands are free and that turns out to be what matters most!