Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Why Proenza Schouler’s PS1 Is the Ultimate Back-to-Work Bag

Why Proenza Schouler’s PS1 Is the Ultimate Back-to-Work Bag

In praise of the PS1.

The schlep from home to office is back. Sooner rather than later, we’ll all be carrying our bags as if they were sacks of potatoes, instead of totes filled with battered laptops, chewed-on pens, and soggy lunches. If that didn’t make it clear, I’m not a huge fan of commuting. Since I have to, I want to at least do it in style. I’m not a tote bag gal; I can’t deal with the flimsy and weak. Of course, a fun pochette is out of the question for corporate 9-5s. Sure, I love to consider a Louis Vuitton Saint Jacques Epi bag, but I need something to expand and contract with ease. The Epi’s rigid leather isn’t the best for stuffing running sneakers in! So what have I discovered? Well, the quintessential, chic back-to-office bag might just be Proenza Schouler’s PS1.

The piece is roomy with a devil-may-care attitude. It’s an elevated messenger bag that isn’t too stuffy, structured, or angular. Still, the PS1 is made from thick leather that can handle the daily wear and tear of a commute. Of course, there is also the nostalgia component. Like the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag, the bag encapsulates the tail end of the excessive noughties at the end of the 2000s.



The PS1 launched in 2008 and was discreetly seeded among designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough’s stylish coven of friends, including Mary-Kate Olsen who had a version in suede and python. The bag came at the right time, when a range of not-so-flashy but very durable bags started to make waves, like the aforementioned Motorcycle bag and Chloe’s Paddington. For the November 2008 issue of Vogue, Fashion Writer Florence Kane wrote an article about the boom of the bag. “‘This is the anti-It-bag,’ says Hernandez. McCollough adds, ‘It-bags sometimes lack a certain subtleness.’ So the two have veered away from the usual designer trappings; the pieces aren't ‘littered with logos’ or weighed down by hardware. It is details like the special moiré print lining or the laid-back knot in each strap that ID them.”



Vogue.com Editor Chioma Nnadi describes the bag as, “little bit schoolgirl but downtown….I remember getting a satchel bag, just because the shape was similar.” (She also brings up the rise of Gossip Girl, where Serena Van Der Woodsen notably toted the PS1. That likely added to the bag’s scholastic associations). Fashion News Editor Sarah Spellings remembers she became obsessed with the bag after attending a Teen Vogue panel featuring Hernandez and McCollough. “I just thought it was so cool. I loved that it didn’t have a label,” says Spellings. “It felt like a cleanse after coveting Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Coach logo bags. Made me feel ‘in the know.’” Senior Fashion Writer and Style Editor Janelle Okwodu notes that she had the yellow version, “which was glorious.” And Fashion and Style Writer Christian Allaire simply says, “it brings me back to Tumblr years.”



Looking at old forums on the beloved late-aughts site thefashionspot.com, I found a trove of threads coveting the bag in its heyday. The user Kimair might have said it best back in 2008. “I love how un-designer these look.” Thirteen years later, I want to scoop up an anthracite medium version for myself. It’s big enough to pack in my laptop and whatever else I need for the day. Sure, it’s a time capsule bag, but it still packs a punch and a lot in it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×