Chloé’s Noughties-Hailing Boho Paddington Bag Is Still A Hit

Chloé’s boho-inclined creative director, Chemena Kamali, is to thank for the revival of the house’s Paddington bag. First released for spring/summer 2005 under then-creative director Phoebe Philo, the archive handbag appeared basically unchanged on Kamali’s autumn/winter 2025 runway, amidst her ready-to-wear offering, which was trimmed with oscillating ruffles, fringing and lace.

Having already honed in on other past hits, including the bracelet bag and sky-high wooden wedges, Kamali left her stalwarts waiting an entire year before reissuing the beloved bag, where it was nonchalantly carried on models’ arms on the runway at Paris Fashion Week.

Kamali’s reissue arrived in the same curvaceous shape as Philo’s original, in an array of enticing new colourways including khaki, burgundy and navy, bedecked with a similar leather-wrapped padlock and golden key with buckles at either end. Elevating its free-spirited appeal, Kamali also attached faux-fur tail key rings to hers – which early fans, including Courtney Love, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss and Jennifer Lopez, would surely love.

It’s been nearly two years since the Paddington’s re-release, but the interest shows no sign of waning. Guests at the most recent spring/summer 2027 Chloé show – which included Alexa Chung, who modelled the Paddington for autumn/winter 2025 – carried a variety of Paddingtons, while Kamali debuted a new summery, slimline style, rendered in woven raffia, on the runway.

Alongside almost-exact reissues of the original, the Paddington can now be found in scaled down and XL versions, as well as a shoulder bag, slouchy crossbody and a vanity case, in leather, suede, tweed and python print. (The rereleases have also influenced a price spike of originals, which can be found on resale sites like eBay.)

Chemena Kamali has been fully immersed in the Chloé-verse since she arrived as an intern for Phoebe Philo some two decades ago, and she’s long admired the hero silhouettes of her predecessors. “What was quite unique about the success of Chloé’s bags was that they had no logos – they were never precious objects. Always soft, in vegetal leather, with an untreated grain patina. They age super-well,” she previously told Vogue’s Mark Holgate.

“They are extremely important to me – because again, it’s not about categories. For me the bags, accessories, leather coats, the blouses – everything really sits together,” she explained to Holgate. “When I work on my looks, I integrate the bags immediately: The intention, function, attitude, proportion.” The “function” is especially key: “It’s important that with our bags you’re not afraid to put them on the floor when you’re sitting in a café.”

As Sarah Mower reported in a 2009 Vogue article, “every one of the 8,000 made in spring 2005 was spoken for before it reached the store.” Kamali’s is equally popular – within hours of release several styles were already listed as “low in stock”. Proof that some bags have the power to transcend eras and trends.

Shop the new Paddington bags: