Sanae Takaichi, the new prime minister of Japan, makes a statement about work — with style.
By Vanessa Friedman in the NYT
Thanks to Ann M. who notes: OMG! The Queen and Mrs. Thatcher return…I read somewhere that the Queen used to shift hers, which was nearly empty, to signal her aides to move along/remove visitors, etc.
It’s the biggest political handbag since Margaret Thatcher entered 10 Downing Street with her boxy Launer London purse — in all sorts of ways.
“It,” of course, is the black tote carried by Sanae Takaichi, the new prime minister of Japan. Officially called the Grace Delight Tote, but often referred to simply as the Sanae Tote, it is a leather bag large enough to fit an A4 file. A simple rectangle with a neat silver clasp at the top and handles long enough to carry over one shoulder or in the crook of an arm, it is made by Hamano, a Japanese “leather crafts” company founded in 1880. Saori Masuda, the editor of 10 Magazine Japan, called it the “Asprey of Japan,” referring to the heritage London leather-goods house beloved of the British aristocracy. It is available in nine different color combinations and retails for 136,400 yen (about $880).
It is, in other words, in no way unusual except for one thing: It is carried by the leader of a G7 country, a job that usually does not involve lugging a handbag.
Before Ms. Takaichi’s election, it was almost impossible to think of a prominent female politician who actually carried a bag. Giorgia Meloni, the first female prime minister of Italy, does not. Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female president of Mexico, does not. Kamala Harris, the first female vice president of the United States, did not. Neither did Angela Merkel during her time in office as the chancellor of Germany.
Ditto Hillary Clinton. Even Liz Truss did not carry a bag during her brief tenure as the British prime minister (though when she met Queen Elizabeth II, the queen had her own famous bag with her).
As to why, and despite the recent popularity of the BAB (Big-Ass Bag) and the recurring desire of designers to put big bags on their runways, the answer is pretty simple: Men in power do not carry briefcases. Why should women?
Forgoing a bag simply telegraphs the impression that you have someone else to do the lifting for you. As Karla Welch, a stylist who worked with Ms. Harris at the beginning of her term, said: “They all have bags. It’s just an aide carrying it.” (The television series “Veep” poked fun at this reality via an assistant to the title character, who was known variously as her “bag man” and her “body man.”) Continued on Page 2 or here