What's in my bag? Evening Edition

What's on my bag: the words embroidered in gold

The real question is not only what is inside the bag, but what is written on it. This one reads Midnight in Paris, embroidered in gold thread across the black satin. Others carry a pair of initials, the name of a hotel, a line from a song, or the date of a night nobody wants to forget. That is the whole idea behind a personalised evening bag: the memory of the night stays on the bag long after the lights have gone out.

Each evening bag in the Minuit au Soleil collection is embroidered in our atelier in Paris. You choose the words, a motif if you like (a palm tree, a shell, a setting sun), or simply your embroidered initials, intertwined like a monogram. The embroidery is included in the price, and the bag is made for you alone.

The mini bag is back, and it was never really about size

The mini bag has returned to every evening, and for good reason. A small bag forces a choice. It frees your hands for a glass, a hand to hold, a dance floor. And worn on the shoulder on a fine gold chain, it reads less as a bag than as a piece of jewellery.

The Minuit au Soleil was born from our Balagan, the beach bag that started it all. One evening, the obvious question arose: what if the beach bag went out at night? We kept its soft, gathered silhouette, shrank it, dressed it in satin, lined it in bamboo terry as soft as velvet on the inside, and embroidered it in gold. The result is a mini bag designed for sunsets that turn into very late dinners.

What actually fits in a mini evening bag

At 20 × 20 × 6 cm, the Minuit au Soleil takes a smartphone, including the larger models, a lipstick, a card or two, a key and a few folded notes, with room left for a pair of plasters. What stays at home: the full wallet, the heavy bunch of keys and the make-up bag packed "just in case". It is said that an elegant woman only takes out at night what she could lose without regret. We would add one exception: her bag.

How to wear a mini bag at night

On the shoulder, chain doubled or left long, the Minuit au Soleil sits close to the body and stays put, even when the music gets louder. Over a black dress, it adds the glint of gold thread; with a tailored suit or jeans and a silk top, it brings the evening in on its own. Choose the satin to echo your outfit, in Black Tie, Midnight or Golden Hour, or let it be the only touch of colour, in Aube.

Mini, or a little bigger?

For those who always carry a little more (sunglasses for the morning after, a small pouch, a paperback for the journey home), the Knot Bag in satin offers 24 × 38 cm and is worn on the wrist, tied with a Japanese knot, its 50 cm fringe moving with every gesture. Embroidered with a two-letter monogram, or in lurex that catches the light, it is the generous sister of the mini bag: still made for the evening, just a little more forgiving.