Esme

The micro bag shrank so much it became jewellery. The Esme is where it lands.

A few years ago bags started shrinking. First the mini. Then the micro. Then the ones that no longer held a phone — and nobody minded, because the function had changed. The bag stopped being a container and became a styling object, carried by hand like a piece of jewellery.

The Esme takes that reasoning to its endpoint: a brushed-metal micro purse, complete, with a clasp and everything, the size of the palm of your hand — worn on a long chain, at the neck.

It is not a bag-shaped pendant. It is an actual bag, in jewellery scale. It has the two-ball kiss lock of vintage coin purses, with the same dry click when you press the sides. It opens, it closes, it has an inside.

The finish is brushed metal, not polished. It meets the other big trend of the season: matte silver-tone, no mirror shine, that does not catch fingerprints and reads contemporary rather than festive.

And then there is the inside. Room for a photograph on each side — the face of someone who matters, a place, a date handwritten on a folded slip of paper. The part no one sees, and what makes the difference between a trend piece and a piece that stays.

Why you will love the Esme

• Trend read at a glance: the micro bag in jewellery scale is the current version of the statement accessory, and the Esme solves it in a single piece.
• Brushed silver-tone: matte metal is the finish of the moment and the easiest to wear — it does not glare in photos or ask for an occasion.
• It really opens: a functional kiss lock, with the click of vintage coin purses.
• Holds a photo on each side: the private layer of the piece, known only to whoever wears it.
• Long chain: the pendant falls at the mid-torso, works over a shirt and leaves room to layer a shorter necklace on top.
• Light: the bag is hollow, keeping the weight low despite the visual volume.

How to wear it

• Over a white or linen shirt, chain on the outside, bag below the button line. That is the contrast the piece asks for: matte, light fabric with matte metal on top.
• In layers, with a shorter beaded or leather necklace on top. The Esme was designed at this length exactly for that.
• Over a plain knit in a neutral tone — khaki, ecru, chocolate. The brushed metal stands out without competing.
• With a large hand-carried bag. This is where the piece makes the most sense: the practical bag goes in the hand, the decorative one at the neck. One carries, the other is worn.

Where to wear it

• Every day, over a shirt or knit
• Work and meetings
• Dinner, events and evenings — the piece that lets you skip the clutch
• Travel, when you are taking a single accessory
• Birthday, Mother's Day and Christmas gifts