The J.Crew Guide to Streamlining Your Bag

J.Crew’s new Signet bags are available to shop today.

Summertime, especially one as impossibly hot as this one has been, is necessarily a time of paring down. A time to ditch your layers and wear a floaty white dress. A time to minimize your makeup routine, because it’ll just slide off your face the moment you enter the subway station anyway. A time when people on Instagram humblebrag about how it was “too hot to cook,” so ice cream for dinner again! One thing a lot of people leave off that list, though, is streamlining your overstuffed bag. And in that endeavor, J.Crew is here to help.

J.Crew’s newest collection of bags has hit stores and they are available online today. The Signet bags come in a variety of trendy colors, are monogrammable, and can be personalized with a contrasting coin purse or key fob. Their compact, structured shape recalls their inspiration — “an old-school camera bag,” according to Somsack Sikhounmuong, J.Crew’s head of women’s design. Add to that the fact that they’re worn cross-body for hands-free ease and you’ve got the perfect day-to-night city bag.

J.Crew Signet bag in Dark Wine, $128, jcrew.com

In the past few seasons, we’ve seen fashionable types increasingly moving away from oversize, shapeless status totes and into more sleek, understated bags such as these. Still, what about women like me, who know that schlepping is never a cute look but have trouble paring down into a smaller bag? Gayle Spannaus, J.Crew’s head stylist, has some tips for us.

Why is a small bag the way to go this season?

“I love that the Signet bag has a dual function because it can be worn cross-body or as a shoulder bag. It’s the perfect size because it fits everything you need while not being too big or too small — it does the editing for you.”

What’s the secret for paring down your bag?

“I think it’s important to start with the things you actually need with you — wallet, phone, house keys, and lipstick are my essentials. Things like old receipts, gum wrappers, the Cheerios floating at the bottom of your bag, that second and third lipstick color, etc. are not necessary to carry around with you all day.”

J.Crew Signet bag in Cobalt Sea, $128, jcrew.com

What’s your favorite non-initial way to monogram these bags?

“I love ‘SOS’ and ‘WOW,’ but as a gift, I have a friend who is about to get married and so she will be getting one of these with ‘MRS’ to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. We also have monogrammable and premonogrammed tags for someone who wants the option to change their monogram — it allows for flexibility when picking out that perfect monogram for your bag. And when you aren’t using the monogrammed tags on your bags, I love putting them on belt loops, zipper pulls, luggage. They add a nice pop of color!”