Le City is 25, and Balenciaga is celebrating in a big way. The brand kicked off its anniversary events on November 10, marking a quarter-century since Nicolas Ghesquière introduced the motorcycle-inspired design in 2001, according to Red Carpet Fashion Awards. Originally championed by Kate Moss, the bag became a defining fashion accessory of the 2000s, carried by Gisele Bündchen, the Olsen twins, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton.
So how do you wear a bag with that much history in 2026? The anniversary party at 10 Avenue George V in Paris — the opening of the city's first Le City House — doubled as a styling masterclass. Every guest carried the bag, and the looks on the carpet split into a handful of repeatable formulas. Here's what worked, and how to borrow it.
Should the bag match the outfit or fight it?
Both camps showed up, and both were right. Lori Harvey matched a vibrant orange sleeveless Balenciaga Spring 2027 top with a Le City bag covered in an explosion of colour across the front. Na-Kel Smith did the same trick in blue, matching his multicoloured-print Le City to his Spring 2027 jacket. The lesson: if you're going tonal, go loud. A matched set reads intentional when the colour is doing the talking.
The quieter route is the contrast play. Isabelle Huppert wore all-black Balenciaga and let a white Le City bag decorated with colourful dots carry the entire look. Red Carpet Fashion Awards noted the surprise that she didn't pick a black bag — and the relief that she didn't. One bright or patterned accessory against a dark outfit is the easiest way to make the bag the point. We covered a connected angle in The Style Hearts2Hearts Lookbook: K-Pop Fashion Decoded.
What if the outfit is the main event?
Then let it be. Naomi Ackie's sleeveless leather top with a sculpted peplum waist nearly upstaged her black Le City bag with colourful accents — an achievement, the site noted, at an event dedicated to the accessory. The takeaway isn't that the bag lost. It's that a statement bag doesn't need to win every time. Pair it with one strong piece and the two can trade attention.
Sarah Pidgeon ran a related version: minimalism with a twist. Her asymmetric leather high-low skirt gave an understated look a directional edge, and a blue Le City bag supplied the splash of colour. If your everyday wardrobe leans simple, the bag is the one place you can go bold without rebuilding anything.
Does the bag still read Y2K, or does it read now?
That depends on what you hang it on. The bag's 2000s identity came from paparazzi shots — Moss, Richie, Hilton, caught mid-street with the bag slung on a shoulder. The new Los Angeles anniversary campaign leans directly into that, starring Nicole Richie alongside Rachel Sennott and revisiting the paparazzi-style photography that made the bag famous, per Yahoo. Two generations of fans, one accessory.
Practically, that means the bag works two ways. Style it with low-key denim and a simple top and you're in the original 2000s register. Style it against something structured — a leather top, an asymmetric skirt — and it reads current. The bag is the constant; the outfit decides the decade.
Is it worth buying into now?
The timing matters. Le City relaunched in 2024, and the anniversary brings exclusive releases plus a limited-edition collaboration with artist Damien Hirst, according to Red Carpet Fashion Awards. Twenty-five years of continuous demand — from 2001 It-girl status, through the 2024 relaunch, to a dedicated Le City House in Paris — is about as strong a case for longevity as a bag gets. If you're weighing trend piece against keeper, our guide to what actually lasts is a useful gut check.
But the honest answer is to buy for the way you dress now. If your closet is mostly quiet pieces, the colour-pop versions shown in Paris are the highest-impact buy. If you already wear bold colour, a black or embellished Le City is the more flexible pick — Clémence Poésy's simple sleeveless mini dress with an embellished black bag is the template. It's the same logic behind building a wardrobe you actually wear: one hero piece, many outfits. For related coverage, see What A Capsule Wardrobe Actually Means.
What's next for the anniversary?
The celebrations are just getting going. Between the Paris Le City House, the exclusive releases, the Hirst collaboration and the Los Angeles campaign, the brand has staged a full calendar around the milestone. Watch the campaign images — the paparazzi-style framing is the styling brief in visual form: the bag worn on the move, with clothes that don't compete. That's the whole formula. Everything else is colour choice.
