Darling, there’s nothing wrong with a big bag… as long as you’ve got smaller ones inside! After a ‘ludicrously capacious’ bag is mocked on hit TV show Succession, we reveal the Russian doll technique used by the super-rich

• The phrase is doing the rounds on social media thanks to hit show Succession
• But true fashion insiders will attest that big is fine — as long as it’s for daytime

When I’m invited to chic sit-down lunches or cocktail parties with members of West London’s elite, my bijou Hermes Kelly bag is a must. It’s in a vibrant, high-vis yellow and has enough room for my phone, a small umbrella, a card holder and not much else.

It allows me to swan about stylishly for a few enchanted hours, unhindered by the trappings of daily life, as though I did not have school drop-off right before or Pilates right after. My sought-after top-handle Kelly is most certainly not ‘ludicrously capacious’.

This is a phrase that’s currently doing the rounds on social media, thanks to the latest series of hit television drama Succession, which charts the lives of the super-rich Roy dynasty.

Shiv Roy’s husband, Tom, snobbishly uses it to describe a party guest’s cross-body Burberry bag. 

Speaking to cousin Greg, who brought his date Bridget to his billionaire uncle Logan Roy’s birthday party, Tom mocks the size of the girl’s ostentatious, boxy handbag and jokes that she must be carrying ‘flat shoes for the subway’ inside it.

In other words, the Burberry’s proportions define her as not super rich, rather someone who has to take the subway. As a result, bulky bags have come under fire as the ultimate fashion faux-pas.

But true fashion insiders will attest that big is fine — as long as it’s for daytime. In fact, the coolest catwalk labels — everyone from Bottega Veneta to Balenciaga — went large when it came to this season’s bags.

But you must go small for social events. So the real power move is to employ several designer bags.

Start large, keeping one inside the other like Russian dolls. Each outer shell is shed as the day goes on. Then you’ll be ready to face any event that comes your way — including an encounter with Logan Roy.

I am 5ft 9in, and so I can get away with carrying something quite commodious. And go as big as you can is my motto — in life as well as handbags.

At the moment, I am using a perforated leather Fendi tote with tortoiseshell handles, but anything weatherproof and roomy is good. A large brown embossed Louis Vuitton is another favourite.

If your budget won’t stretch to either of those, Arket or & Other Stories on the High Street do great roomy totes at more purse-friendly prices.

Both the Vuitton and Fendi measure at least 40cm across and, I’ll wager, are as large as — if not larger than — poor Bridget’s lambasted Burberry.

My bags are often the subject of gentle ribbing, too. Whenever someone goes quiet on social media, my friends joke that I must have stashed them away in one of my big bags. That said, those same friends have come begging to borrow a bag of mine on more than one occasion. .

As well as the selection of smaller bags, inside the big one you’ll find snacks for my kids, a half-eaten protein bar for me, and a book (I’m always convinced that I’ll find a spare half-hour).

No flat shoes to change into for me, though, as at my height they’re all I ever wear.

I am 5ft 9in, and so I can get away with carrying something quite commodious. And go as big as you can is my motto — in life as well as handbags. Pictured: Shruti Advani

Pictured: Succession’s Burberry bag

The next largest bag inside my Fendi is a men’s wash bag from Louis Vuitton. In this I stash hand sanitiser, a packet of tissues, sunglasses, hand cream, Rescue Remedy spray and my AirPods.

Recently, I have added a travel-sized Pantene dry shampoo, as well as a pair of leather gloves.

The next handbag in my arsenal, such as the Hermes Kelly, is decorative, most likely to be expensive — and matched with the day’s outfit.

These will inevitably be the fiddly ones with lots of buttons and zips, in an eye-catching colour or featuring beautiful embroidery. The type of bag that looks totally impractical — and (top tip!) often ends up on sale as a result.

Inside the Kelly (or whatever the bag of the day is) goes a teeny black quilted Chanel card-holder.

These are among the cheapest items in any designer’s range, but are undoubtedly the most useful. Mine is so old the leather has softened beautifully … and so has stretched beyond its original size.

It has various slots for my driving licence, store loyalty cards, debit and credit cards.

This means I’m never that annoying person fumbling at the turnstile on the Tube, looking for a card to tap, while everyone else just wants to catch the train.

And yes, in London, absolutely everyone uses the Underground to get around the capital, so there’s no point sneering at it like Tom in Succession.

My local stop serves celebrities as well as lesser mortals. On the other hand, I consider it one of life’s blessings that I have never had to ‘ride the subway’ when visiting the Big Apple. A big bag may well save your life if you find yourself forced to ride one of those; use it to stave off would-be muggers.

So, while Bridget in Succession wasn’t wrong to own or, indeed, carry a capacious bag, she did break high society’s golden rule: always check your bulky bag (with your coat carefully folded up inside) into the cloakroom. And remember never to take the outer bag into the inner circle.

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