WHY I BOUGHT SIX THE ROW BAGS (AND COUNTING)

Lara on why The Row gets it right. Plus: where to find the best pre-loved deals.

Lara: I've never really been a bag person. Shoes, absolutely. A beautiful heel or a perfect flat is transformative in a way a bag never quite was for me. They felt functional at best. One was enough to do the job, and that was largely carrying a laptop and everything I'd rather not think about. I didn't need more or so I thought. Until The Row swooped me.

You might expect me to start on the Margaux bag. Funny enough, I've never been struck by it. It's likely their most successful bag design (still sold out everywhere, except in stores) but it never gave me that feeling. Same story for the Marlo: exceptional, but carrying such a large bag by the top handle has never felt convenient to me. The Bindle bag in pebbled leather, did (the Stitch version is on sale here). Years ago, when tiny bags that could barely fit a lip balm were the trend, the Bindle felt radical; the size, the ease; soft enough to move with my body, simple enough to hold my entire day. It was the first time I remember thinking about spending serious money on a bag, and actually doing it.

That first purchase shifted something. After a while I added The Row Half Moon bag (in black here, pre-loved here and here), and around the end of 2024, I caved on the white 90’s bag. Both are smaller and more polished than the Bindle, slightly more occasion-oriented, although I hardly ever go to an occasion thing in my personal life. Work fills that gap: both are perfect for fashion week events or work dinners when I want something understated but still special. I felt fulfilled for quite some time with those three Row bags in my wardrobe and didn't feel the need for another one. I thought maybe I had reached my bag limit, and that was okay. Narrator: she had not.

THE ROW Astra bag in black leather (in brown suede here), 440ME Cotton silk trenchcoat, Deadbeat Tame Impala fan T-shirt and REYÈM black wide-leg pants

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