On October 18th, pop star Sabrina Carpenter hosted Saturday Night Live and served as the long-running program’s musical guest. Before taking the stage with her comedic performance and musical stylings, Carpenter snapped a backstage selfie. While her white corset—designed to resemble a woman’s naked body—might have caught the initial attention, luxury handbag collectors quickly noticed her Chloé Paddington bag.

The Chloé Paddington bag debuted in 2005 during the brand’s runway show. It quickly became an It bag, spotted on celebrities from Kate Moss to Jennifer Lopez. The mid-2000s marked the height of the boho-chic era, a movement championed by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, whose hit Bravo show The Rachel Zoe Project amplified the look’s cultural influence.

Boho chic soon became an entire fashion subculture, further popularized by Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, and the Olsen Twins prior to their shift into minimalist luxury with their brand, The Row.

During this movement, the Chloé Paddington bag rose to icon status. It also signified a key turning point in designer Phoebe Philo’s career. In 2001, Philo succeeded Stella McCartney as Chloé’s creative director. While her collections were well received, the Paddington marked her first runaway commercial success and the fashion industry took serious notice.

Following her departure from Chloé in 2006, Philo joined Céline under LVMH, where she quadrupled sales and created another defining It bag: the Phantom Luggage Tote. Today, many would argue that Philo’s trajectory toward industry legend began with the Paddington.

Another unique aspect of the Paddington was its international identity. A French brand designing a bag named after a London neighborhood, embraced by Los Angeles boho fashionistas.

One of the bag’s most distinguishable details was its oversized padlock. This hardware-forward feature set it apart and fueled its desirability. Before the bag even reached stores in 2005, Chloé had pre-sold 8,000 units.

With the return of the Y2K aesthetic, a Paddington revival felt inevitable. As one of the most defining handbags of that era, its resurgence became so obvious that Chloé officially reissued the design this year.

The latest version features lighter hardware and a washed-leather finish, giving it that sought-after vintage look — aligning perfectly with today’s secondhand and archival fashion boom.