The city bag gets cooler

As Louis Vuitton bags go, the Speedy is a favorite among LV addicts — so popular it’s become an icon.

I like the looks of it because it reminds me of my father’s doctor bag in terms of its shape and short handles, but styled up to haute-couture levels, of course.

Plus, it’s roomy, and we career woman/mom types only feel secure when we’re toting our whole lives with us. After all, you never know what you’ll need in an emergency, right? You might need to whip out a checkbook to pay a bill or a cosmetic kit to do your face in the car.

The Speedy’s original Monogram canvas was a little staid for my tastes, though, so Louis Vuitton’s announcement that it is issuing the Speedy in colorful Monogram Empreinte leather is great news to me.

LV’s new Speedy 25 Bandoulière is the smallest version of the Speedy, and this time its handy shoulder strap is not a mere add-on but an actual, sewn-on part of the bag.

Arm candy: The new Speedy 25 Bandoulière is now available in Monogram Empreinte, embossed calf leather in different colors, at the Louis Vuitton boutique in Greenbelt 4.

Looks-wise it’s gorgeous. LV’s monogram pattern is embossed in richly tinted calf leather — take your pick from five colors: Aube, a dark violet (Sarah Jessica Parker’s choice); Aurore, a rich raspberry; Infini, a deep midnight blue (Diane Kruger’s go-to); Orient, a burnt orange; and the latest shade, Terre, a warm chocolate brown that harks back to Louis Vuitton’s storied history.

The shape is the same but the details of the new Speedy 25 Bandoulière are different. Instead of just one, there are now two oversized zipper pulls that are easier to use, and bold brass rivets. It may look deceptively small on the outside, which makes it proportional to petite women like me, but inside the Monogram Empreinte contains all the space you need — for cosmetic bag, wallet, checkbook, smartphone … and even War and Peace, if you’re into that sort of thing.

I love how you can wear it different ways: the adjustable, detachable shoulder strap is a godsend if you’re not in the mood to carry it by the handles or in the crook of your arm, and it even comes with a strap extender so you can sling it across your body like a messenger bag. The shoulder-strap option also preserves the life of your Speedy’s emblematic Toron handles.

Inside, a side pocket can separate your personal effects; another feature is a D-ring you can hang your pochette or keys from.

LV lore has it that this iconic bag wasn’t always called the Speedy. Created in the 1930s, this little sister of the legendary Keepall was originally christened the Express, referring to that era’s passion for new and faster means of transportation.

For a time it was even called Vernet, after a street near Louis Vuitton’s home in Paris. But neither name suited it quite so well as Speedy, its instantly recognizable and memorable moniker worldwide.

The Speedy 25 has a particularly starry history. In 1965, Audrey Hepburn, a loyal Louis Vuitton customer, asked Henri-Louis Vuitton to create a smaller version of the Speedy?as a special order for her. The Speedy 25 became the stylish ?Hepburn’s constant companion, as it has for countless women since.

In the final reckoning the Speedy is the original and quintessential city bag, both classic and contemporary, young in spirit yet chic at any age. No wonder this city girl’s got to have it.

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In the Philippines, the Louis Vuitton boutique is located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.