WHERE DID YOU GET THAT BAG

Alexis Novak of Tab Vintage found the Prada bag of my dreams.

Earlier this month, I was mindlessly tapping through other people’s Instagram Stories when my thumb stopped dead in its tracks. Staring back at me through the screen was the devilish little ruched satin bag that walked the Prada Spring 2024 runway show back in September.

As real Prada fans know, Miuccia’s grandfather, Mario Prada, was a big traveler and would bring precious “curiosities,” like this freaky figurehead, back to Milan with him to use for special pieces. He called them oggetti di lusso, or objects of luxury. The above bag is a reinterpretation of one he designed in 1913.

I’ve been trying to find it online and in stores ever since. I’m not saying I went to Milan last month solely in search of one… But it certainly factored into my travel plans. After coming up empty-handed, I figured they just made the bags for the runway and gave up looking. So when I saw that someone ACTUALLY HAD ONE IN THEIR GRASP, I was shocked.

“Omg, THEY SELL IT?!!!!” I messaged my friend Jess, who posted a photo of the bag to her Stories. "Where?!”

Turns out, Jess was in Vegas to see a Maroon 5 concert (epic) with her friend, Alexis Novak, who bought the bag at a Prada store on the Strip. Alexis is the founder of Tab Vintage, which, in the last few months alone, has been responsible for sourcing Emily Ratajkowski's 2001 Versace couture Met Gala gown, a 2003 McQueen dress for Alex Cooper's wedding, and a 1995 Chanel bikini for Kylie Jenner. So when I learned this, everything started to make a little more sense. Finding super rare, super special pieces is Alexis’s thing. But I still had so many questions, so I called her up when she got back home to LA. Below is a snippet of our conversation.

Emilia: Let’s take a step back. What was your first reaction when you saw the bag on the runway in September?

Alexis: I love Miuccia Prada. Anything she touches, I'm just like, Yes, I'm into it. The day of the show, I looked at photos as soon as I woke up, and when I saw that bag, I texted Jess and said: "I need this, medically." This was before I even learned the backstory. I just saw it and was like, That's the coolest fucking thing I've ever seen. And not in a new Bottega bag kind of way; this is going to be cool forever.

I’ve also been using his face as a sort of internal text message meme with friends ever since. 

What emoji do you use it as?

It could be angry, excited, happy, hungry... You know the lion's breath pose in yoga class, where you stick your tongue out and make your eyes as wide as you can possibly make them? That's what he's doing. So whatever that emotion is. It's the ugly-chic thing that Miuccia does better than anyone. He’s making this hideous face, but it’s beautiful. With the ruching, it looks like an antique bag from the 1910s or 20s. 

Tell me about the moment you found it at the Prada store in Vegas. 

We just went to grab some sunglasses, and Jess was like, “Oh my god, isn’t that your little dude??” And it was the tote version. I freaked out and started explaining to the people who work there how obsessed with it I am, and they were like, “Oh, well, we have one of the show bags here.” I was like, “What do you mean, you have one of the show bags here??” They said this Vegas store is the largest one in North America and they actually get a lot of rare pieces sent there. [Ed note: The official Prada “epicenters” are in New York, LA, and Tokyo.] I asked them to look up the buy count and they said there were 12 tote bags, plus the show bags. And they’re hand-painted, so they’re all a little bit different. 

Oh my god…

I know. So they pulled out the show bag and I got full-body chills. I felt sick. I asked if it was just for display and they said it was for sale. So then I was like, “Okay, how do we… What do we do??” It was priced like any other Prada bag, which surprised me. Obviously, it’s not cheap by any means. But it wasn’t what I would expect for, you know, the greatest work of art of our time. 

So you got the bag. 

I got the bag. Then I ran out of the store and posted a picture. I got so many DMs, and not just from fashion people. Later that night, I did a little research to try and buy or at least find one of the tote bags online, and it was a desert. I couldn't find anything. So I figured if it's here… I should probably go back and get the tote bag, too, for future vintage. And I did. Hopefully, it will increase in value. I still haven’t taken either of them out of the box.  

The tote bag version.

I feel like the bag is kind of haunted—but in a good way. Do you agree?

100%. It has a spirit to it. This isn’t just a purse. 

It’s a companion. He's a companion.

He is. To open the bag, you also have to either lift his chin or push his forehead, which is funny to me.  

As a professional collector, what does a bag like this mean to you?

This is going to sound so in the clouds, but this is the kind of stuff that makes life worth living because it connects us all! I am now connected to Miuccia Prada’s grandfather in some way through owning this bag—this Italian man who lived way before I was even an idea of a person—and I just love that.  

Do you think you’re ever going to take it out of the box?

Maybe I'll bring it to New York when I go next. But if you're ever in LA, come over and spend an afternoon with him. 

Yeah, I have to meet him.

He's magic. 

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But wait there’s more…

After I got off the phone with Alexis, I figured that before I write this newsletter and blow up my own spot, I should just *check* and see if there are any bags in New York... So I emailed my Prada “rep,” whom I was assigned after I bought those green Prada shoes in Milan recently (chic), and he got back to me right away saying that they had the bag in stock at the Soho store.

I SHRIEKED.

I said: “I can come in today, but how much is it…?” The price made me woozy, so I texted Shop Rat Main Character, Allison P. Davis, for a second opinion. And without a moment’s hesitation, this b*tch tells me SHE is going to buy the bag!!!

To be fair: Allison also saw the bag when it walked the runway and wanted it for herself. She assumed there was more than one available and had no intention of stealing it from me. But in my mind, I saw this as WAR, and now that it was a competition, I *had* to have it. Was my friendship with Allison going to be sacrificed in the process, though?? The little devil man was already tearing us apart!!!

I asked my Prada guy (now he’s MY guy) if, by any chance, there was more than one bag in stock—like, anywhere. “So GOOD NEWS,” he emailed me a few hours later. “I have two bags.” I immediately got off a Brooklyn-bound 6 train and went to the opposite side of the platform. TO THE PRADA STORE!!! FLOOR IT!!!!

When I finally saw the bags in person, I’m not gonna lie—I got a little choked up. THE RUSH!!! I’ve never bought a designer bag before, but I’m a Big Girl now, and this one felt RIGHT. Apparently, they only made 30 of these bags, in addition to the ones from the show. I told my Prada guy, whom I adore, that he had not only made my day but also saved a friendship in the process. And then I told Allison that the next time I see her, we can make our little devil men kiss and make up.

So, a happy ending for everyone involved. If you, too, own one of these bags, lmk. We should all meet up and have a Prada séance.

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NEXT TIME: What I consumed in the month of May.