For years, I hauled my stuff around in two things: a canvas tote and a 2010 Ford Focus. Then I moved to New York, dropped the Focus, and downsized to just the tote. My commute to work involved carrying my laptop and book (which was mainly for aesthetics, natch) to the quietest cafe in my neighborhood, before I landed a gig that required me to go into an actual office. For a bit. One world-changing event later and I rarely have to lug my laptop anywhere anymore, rendering my tote bags mostly obsolete—and making me very grateful for whatever pockets are sewn onto my clothes. But while I do love me some cargo pants, I don’t actually like stuffing them with things; their pockets are kinda like the novels I used to carry around—largely ornamental.
Then, a couple of months ago, I locked eyes with the Issey Miyake Trunks Pleats bag, and reader, I fell for it hard. It’s striking, it’s sculptural, it feels almost alive in the way it shrinks and expands to accommodate its contents. Plus, it comes in a zillion different colors and is made out of a lightweight recycled polyester that’s svelter than canvas but equally as durable. And, mercifully, it doesn’t have a magazine’s logo splashed across the front—even one as cool as GQ’s.
Most of Miyake’s most popular and widely recognized designs feature ultra-fine pleats crammed densely together. The Trunk bag, however, is constructed using larger pleats reminiscent of the bellows of an accordion. I’d like to think that Miyake was moved by the tunes of a talented busker or Weird Al Yankovic, but the bag actually takes inspiration from trees, hence the name. Does it look like a tree? Uh, sorta. If you squint, maybe. It’s called impressionism, baby! Hey, it may not hang in the MoMA, but it happens to be sold at the museum’s Design Store, which, if you ask me, is close enough.
And while most Miyake joints (let alone blue-chip impressionist masterpieces) will cost you a pretty penny, this bag retails for a mere *checks notes* $100. It’s not quite enough to buy a wheezing Ford Focus, but if you’re looking to upgrade your tote game it’s a fantastic place to start.
