This Queen of Sparkle Wants to Be the New Ralph Lauren

If you’re a certain kind of young, lively, professional New York woman, you’re aware of the brand Susan Alexandra’s distinctive accessories even if you couldn’t name them: the boxy, beaded, sometimes fruit-shaped handbags exploded onto the scene a couple of years ago, representing a fresh, rainbow-hued alternative to the deeply serious, black leather offerings favored by Balenciaga or The Row.

Gigi Hadid was spotted rocking a rainbow-beaded Susan Alexandra bag on vacation in 2018, but this brand also isn’t just for the girls: iconic millennial lothario Pete Davidson has a custom Susan necklace that spells out his first name (as if we didn’t already know it). There’s a summer camp, friendship bracelet vibe to much of the brand's output.

“I think Susan’s stuff is very relatable,” New Yorker staff writer Naomi Fry, who modeled a beaded Susan Alexandra bag on her head for the brand’s 2020 bat mitzvah-themed fashion show, told The Daily Beast. “It appeals to the very core part of us that loves shiny, sparkly, beautiful things. It reminds me of how I felt when I’d go to the mall and see Barbies, and I just wanted everything.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.