August was a doozy. After a nearly comatose January through July on the work front (commercial photography: flatlined), the second half of August came at me like a freight train. I joked that I worked more in August than I did all year, but if I’m being honest, it might not even be a joke. And of course, shoots don’t exactly end when the cameras stop rolling – post-production lingers on, so I won’t be wrapped on most of them for a while.
In between, I squeezed in a few self-shot outfit captures while in LA. If you’re trying to document outfits without a photographer (or a very patient friend), here’s my hot tip: plop your phone on this stand on a nightstand or any tabletop surface, film a video of your outfit, then scrub through for screenshots. It completely takes away the stress of hitting the “perfect” pose on a self-timer (and the running back and forth if you’re trying to take multiple options), but the disadvantage is that it’s not high-res by any means. Screenshots are a bit rough around the edges, as am I after a week of set life 🥴.
And for context: most of these were workdays spent on set in a studio, which means I dressed for comfort and flexibility – literally. At various points I was crouching or kneeling to get a shot, so my outfits needed to move with me.
Day 1: A bit ambitious with the boots, but my feet survived.
Day 2: Remembered it’s cold in studios – long sleeve to the rescue.
Day 3: A khaki theme, accessorized with what I lovingly call my ugly sneaker-loafers.
Day 4: Tomboy mode for the last day on set.
Day 5: Travel day, back to Philly.
The Phoebe Philo Gig bag: a field test
If you were around during the Phoebe Philo era at Céline, you remember the Trio bag. Slim crossbody, three distinct zippered pouches snapped together, offered in two sizes and a rainbow of colored lambskin leathers – it felt almost ubiquitous at the time. I had a small tan one, bought secondhand on eBay in 2012, and it became my most-used bag for years. It was my perfect travel companion – small enough to stuff into another tote at the gate (for when the airline enforcers tell you to “consolidate your personal items”), but roomy enough to hold far more than it looked like it could. By the time I sold mine in 2016, it was thoroughly loved, but I still think about it sometimes.
The Row’s Nu Mini Twin filled the void for a while, giving similar Trio vibes in a slightly sleeker way (only two compartments and one zipper), until the strap literally shredded apart on me (we’ll save that rant for another day). Clearly this silhouette and compartment-design works for me, so when Phoebe launched her Gig bag, I was intrigued. The original felt too big, but when the small Gig was released, my willpower evaporated. And because I couldn’t find any substantial reviews online, I did the noble thing: took one for the team.
First impressions: A tad smaller than expected (roughly 8” tall and 10” wide, but the actual zipper opening is just about 8”). Gorgeous leather – smooth (my preference over pebbled) but not fragile, more forgiving than The Row’s saddle leather or Hermès box.
Cons:
The tassels. They arrived with bends from packaging and never straightened. I haven’t yet tried to steam them out (a little scared to!) but maybe that’d work? I’d almost prefer the bag without them, which feels sacrilegious given they’re a key design point.
Slim profile means every odd-shaped item pokes through. It does smooth out when the item is removed, but still, bulky things are difficult to put in here.
The price: $2700. Significantly more than a secondhand Trio these days (which you can find easily for under $500), and the The Row Nu Twin as well ($1290 new or under $900 used).
I wish the strap had more holes for finer adjustments in length. Also probably DIY-able.
Pros:
The overall design. Three compartments (organization, woo!), but only one zipper. Functional, minimal, and less fussy than the old Trio. One of the issues I remember with the Trio was that if you didn’t remember which compartment you put something in, you could be playing zipper roulette and unzipping three separate compartments before finding it. I’m also a fan of the subtle engraved logo.
Easy to crush-pack into another bag — aka flight friendly. There are several bags in my collection that I feel I can never travel with because of their bulk or shape (luggage space is precious!). Again, the tassels do slightly interfere with the crush-ability but it’s not too bad.
This is a bit of a silly pro – it’s not a super trendy bag and I haven’t seen another one “in the wild” yet. I like that.
Goes from shoulder to crossbody to clutch (ish). Love that. My preference has actually been to wear it shoulder length so far.
The leather seems pretty resilient: it’s already endured scratches, scuffs, and even a surprise NYC rainstorm with little to show for it. I’m not very precious with my stuff, for better or for worse, so it’s a relief when nice things aren’t too delicate.
Fits a surprisingly decent amount of stuff without losing its shape. Below is a snapshot of everything I can comfortably carry in it, with room to spare.
Overall, it feels like an evolution of a silhouette that already works for my lifestyle – understated, versatile, and good for travel. Is it a bag that will reach icon status? Doubtful, but that doesn’t typically factor into my bag purchase decisions anyway.
For my paid subscribers, a little bonus video of me being awkward on camera talking about the bag 🤓.
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