When asked by FTA about the one fashion item a woman should never own, Saudi fashion editor turned entrepreneur Marriam Mossalli was very quick with her reply: “Micro bags for sure.”
“Bags are supposed to possess both form and function, but micro purses can barely fit a lipstick, let alone fulfill their purpose as a product of convenience,” says the founder of Jeddah-based luxury consultancy Niche Arabia.
While she is known for her love of fashion, Marriam has never been a trend follower. For her the best alternative to a micro bag is a man! “My husband is my favorite accessory! My cigarettes, lighter, perfume, lip-gloss and even portable charger all usually fit inside his coat pockets,” she says with a smile. “Seriously right now, I’m a fan of the recycled canvas tote. It screams sustainability, which is always on trend, and isn’t as pretentious as a designer bag that you’ve spent thousands on and will eventually hate when you realize it’s been gifted to a bunch of influencers on Instagram.”
She has even spoken about her aversion to the micro bag on her social media accounts. Adds Marriam, author of street-style book Under The Abaya: “It’s like an abaya – if it loses its function of modest covering, it’s no longer an abaya.”
