Like celebrity bodies on the red carpet, everything from bottles, bag charms and even the bags they’re attached to are shrinking in size – but are bigger signs of status than ever
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hen it comes to attention-seeking fashion, bigger is usually better. A giant designer bag. Shoulder-grazing earrings. A straw hat the size of a bike tyre. Recently, however, there has been a shift. Like celebrity bodies on the red carpet, accessories are shrinking. Everything from bags to water bottles are noticeably downsizing.
In April, Uniqlo released a micro version of its mini shoulder bag. The original banana-shaped hit, which has become the brand’s bestselling bag of all time, measured 28cm by 17cm. Its £12.90 offspring has been scaled down to 21.5cm by 11.5cm and, like a matryoshka doll, comfortably nestles inside its progenitor.
Meanwhile, a bottle that holds just 200ml of liquid is also enjoying viral fame on TikTok. Similar to a Stanley cup, the Micro Hydro Mini flask can be customised and engraved. But unlike its predecessor, which can hold enough water for a full day’s intake of H20 and then some, the Micro Hydro Mini stores about 3.5 gulpfuls. The palm-sized bottle sold out within 24 hours when it was launched in February, and it has since sold out several times more.
