Sartorial Snapshot: Issue 01.

Field Notes from writing in black and white

What we wear reveals who we are.

This isn’t just the ethos of my fashion essay collection, Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays About Finding Yourself, it’s a philosophy to live by as we age. Fashion is rarely just aesthetic. It’s psychological. Cultural. Personal. Sometimes even political — just ask Lingua Franca founder, Rachelle Hruska MacPherson, who just celebrated ten years of voicing opinions through embroidery.

Sartorial Snapshot is a new weekly field note examining a single item, moment or feature in fashion that makes a broader statement.

No trends. No shopping advice. No affiliate links. Just observation.

Because getting dressed — especially as we age — is less about performance and more about self-awareness.

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This week: The Miu Miu Beau Nappa Leather Bag

Let’s be clear. Aging is not about being invisible.

While the fashion world is mad for archival nostalgia —which this bag carries (functional fashion pun intended) — the bigger picture is that pristine is passé. In our handbags. And on our faces.

Last week, The Telegraph claimed fashion is over once you hit 56 (my current age). No chance. Our style evolves, deepens and becomes far more interesting with experience. As you all concurred after my tirade.

Courtesy of the Town & Country article below by Leena Kim, I learned about this hand-finished bag — and the brand’s Making of Old initiative, which gives new leather an antiqued effect, adding depth and a vintage feel. Its patina and imperfection are an absolute masterclass in how fashion can celebrate life rather than erase it.

And the headline? This is how it’s done, Telegraph.