I’m a gal on the go, which has often meant scarfing down a bodega turkey sandwich unearthed from the bottom of my tote bag between commitments. You may think this means I have longed for a sleeker, more sophisticated sandwich transportation option, but honestly I never thought twice about it. Panera, though, clearly saw there was a problem to be solved and has created the BAGuette.
Panera is taking the “baguette bag,” a very Y2K style first introduced by Fendi, seriously, and launching a limited-edition run of 500 embossed green purses in conjunction with New York Fashion Week. Presumably no one at New York Fashion Week is much concerned with Panera, but food brands are increasingly looking to fashion collaborations to gain clout. Each purse, which costs $39.50, is long and thin and “perfectly sized to carry one of Panera’s new Toasted Baguettes,” and will come with a gift card for one of the sandwiches when you buy one online.
That’s fun, right? That’s cute. But the best thing about the Panera bag is you can put whatever sandwich or loaf you want in there, and save yourself from having to eat a Panera sandwich that you likely bought hours ago and are now taking out at a second location.
Frankly, I have never understood why some people are so obsessed with Panera. Go with God if you must, but what Panera does seem to understand is the most glamorous thing a woman can do is reach into her designer bag and unearth an entire hoagie. It’s giving that Looney Tunes thing where a character opens an instrument case and brings out a whole lollipop. So why limit yourself to one brand? Transport homemade baguettes to dinner parties. Bring a whole Italian beef to your friend’s Super Bowl potluck. Arrive at a date you’re not even really excited about and say “No thanks, I brought my own,” and see if they run. The possibilities to amuse yourself are endless.
Hopefully, this ushers in a new era of fashion with food transportation in mind. Dangling earrings that each carry a whole cookie? Those clear platform shoes but instead of goldfish inside it’s soup? But whatever you do, do not show up to Fashion Week with a Panera Green Goddess Caprese Melt. That’s just gauche.
