About this item Sometimes, there are pieces of fashion that go beyond being trendy and become symbols of style, grace, sophistication and even personality. A lady who appreciates the elegance and eternal beauty-Hailey is that woman- nd that’s exactly what you’ll find in her selection of designer must-haves. They are her five ‘chapters’, her dreamy jewels that have taken so much investment, they are not just Gucci bags–they represent more: They are her style, her life journey and her contemporary interpretation of femininity. Whether you knew it from her earliest adoption of them or just now, Hailey realized these items were becoming part of the story, blending luxury into the fabric of her everyday life with the kind of seamlessness that only a fully actualized It-girl can achieve.
Hailey had a special bond with fashion from a young age. Even as many of her peers chased voguish trends, she always inclined toward items that had a whiff of staying power. She loved clothes and accessories that appeared as if they could tell stories through generations. It was this instinct that led her to acquire things that would last, whether in their physical state or in their staying power despite changing seasons. Her bags soon became part of herself, not just practical items to carry around stuff, but expressions of confidence and style.
Her collection started with just one, and quickly multiplied to five. Each is a character in its own right, an artifact of a different phase of Hailey’s life. One, smooth and simple, reflected her entrance into the working world and the need, she says, to be taken seriously, but to do so “on her own terms” while still shining with feminine grace. Another was brave, selected at a point in time when she was looking to the more daring aspects of her personality. A third became her traveling companion, full of memories of foreign cities and silent afternoons in places she would never have a chance to see again. The fourth was free, which made it priceless in the nonmonetary sense. And then there was her fifth, the one that would eventually take the spot as her favorite, a bag that communicated with her in ways the others couldn’t.
Some of the appeal of her collection is based on how she uses it. Hailey never closeted her bags away for mere trophies. Instead, she considered them living companions in her ordinary life. At the office, a woman could take a serene rest by her chair, exuding quiet confidence. On a dinner, another would be the ultimate compliment to the outfit that was agonisingly planned for the evening. Even while doing something as casual as hanging out having coffee with friends, she would typically pick something that subtly levelled up the whole thing. She never wore them, but let them match with her being.
Over time, she developed a relationship with these things. For Hailey, these bags were not mere indulgences but investments in art and craft. Each was finely crafted, made of hand-selected materials, and made by hands skilled in the tradition. What she repeatedly discovered is that so much craftsmanship is beneath the notice of the casual eye—the tight stitches, the attention to the alignment of patterns, the balance between utility and ornamentation. None of these particulars were visible to most, but they were for her to admire.
Hailey’s friends are frequently asking: why does she splurge on accessories and not on some other type of extravagance? Her response has remained the same: these are not ephemera. They hold up, in form and how they elevate her every day. She thinks of them as works of art-hung in a gallery, timeless, expressive, and intimate. And unlike art trapped behind glass, her pieces are very much alive in her day-to-day, mirroring her changing moods and events.
But what captivates most who know Hailey is how effectively she has woven her collection into her personality. She doesn’t let a few shimmering details outshine her natural spark. Rather, it seems believable that these accessories are simply moving parts of her persona. That balance is what makes her style so compelling: She adds to her presence without it being about what she has. It’s a rare gift, and it speaks to her realness.”
Her five cats are her constant companions, but midway through her journey with her cats, she often recalls the one that has given her the most joy. Every time she goes for it, it’s a reminder of how it links up to her own story. It’s in this season of reflection that one Gucci bag, in particular, which I’ve been pondering for a long while, stands apart from the rest, as having a weight that its equally tempting counterparts, lovely as they are, can’t touch.
The one she cherishes above all is the Gucci Margaret bag. Unlike some of her other works, this one spoke to her immediately, as if it had been waiting for her. There is a classic and contemporary balance in the design, which neatly straddles elegance and practicality. Hailey sees in it a convenient way to move from one event to another: one day it comes with her to a business meeting, the other it reclines elegantly by her side at an event for the weekend. Its lines, textures and proportions appear to reflect the same notions of beauty that are hers. For her, this isn’t accessory; this is personal alignment. The Gucci Margaret bag is one of her five favourite things and the bags from the house are always close to her heart.
There is a particular excitement in Emily’s eyes whenever she discusses this favorite. She writes about how the craftsmanship is tactile, how the structure is solid but soft so you can pick it up. It’s so versatile, and can be dressed up with a gown and heels, or down with jeans and a T-shirt, she notes. This versatility ensures that she uses it more frequently than anything else she owns, which makes it a living object, not a precious relic, and gives it a life of its own.
Friends of Hailey’s who have seen her with her Margaret often remark how seamlessly it suits her, like a signature part of her look. Although the other four are undeniably beautiful, this one has become her calling card. The two are so in tune with each other that even people who know little about fashion can see it. It is as if the bag finishes her outfit regardless of what it happens to be, and that kind of synchronicity is irreplaceable.
What separates her from other owners of similar items is not that she has them, but the care with which she takes care of them. The important part is she never lets anything falter, she works to keep each of her treasures like new. Hailey knows that beauty is not only in acquisition but in conservation. She spends time learning how to protect them, how to preserve them and how to care for them in such a way that lengthens their lives. This respect further confirms for her that these are not mere objects, but worthy companions.
“They follow me through different parts of my life and I’m grateful for what they add to life, not what they take from life,” she says. They’ve become commingled with her recollections: the dinner where she laughed until midnight, the meeting where she concluded a crucial deal, the trip abroad that broadened her perspective. Each of her moments is immortalised not just by the people she spent it with but by the company she kept.
Going forward, Hailey is not interested in growing her collection irrationally. And she is considered and picky about it, she said, such that when she adds another, it will similarly bear a deeper significance than the one-letter designs of her current five. She’s an advocate of intentionality, of curating instead of accumulating. “ I think that’s what sets me apart in a culture that sometimes seems to value quantity over quality.” She sees her range as being the finished article in many ways, in the sense of each one having a role to play.
One can also, not long before the end of her reflections, begin to detect the degree to which, under her comparatively brutal aegis, her story is about not luxury but values. Her relationship with these Gucci bags is not about materialism, but about gratitude—gratitude for art, for legacy, for the ways objects can complement life without blotting it out. By its very selection, its proper enjoyment, its correct use, Hailey proves that elegance is just as much an attitude of ownership as a possession of the body.
For Hailey’s story is not merely one about collecting—it is also about living with intention and beauty. In her five mates, she has showed that fashion doesn’t have to be as clichéd as it is portrayed, rather, it could be a language to express oneself. And in her favorite, haul’s bashful poster bag, the Gucci Margaret bag, she has discovered not only a treasure but herself. For anyone watching her journey, the message is simple; real elegance is about balance–between self and stuff and the life you want to lead.