An It-Girl-Based Guide To Shopping The Chloé Paddington Reissue

Arguments about fashion’s obsession with nostalgia swirl like clockwork every year, with capsule collections honoring past style legends and collaborations with bygone labels cropping up to tap into the collective desire to live in any time but the present. But when a handbag from the archives is that good, we will put aside our desire for something genuinely new and rejoice. Enter the Chloé Paddington, which arrives at the ideal moment where mid-2000s sleazy couture (in the same vein of Y2Chaos) and bohemian energy are converging.

The historic French brand, now led by Chemena Kamali, reintroduced the rectangular top-handle shape — adorned with the classic padlock, heavy stitching, and studded hardware — and gave it some updates for 2025. The bag itself is lighter, the better for stuffing it with duty-free cigarettes and sunglasses, and the leather comes preloved, so it’s slouchier on the shoulder or in the crutch of your arm. Chloé tapped Kendall Jenner and Aimee Lou Wood to front the campaign — which we love, to be sure, but we couldn’t help but dip into the paparazzi archives to help us decide which color to buy.

If the Balenciaga City bag was the crown jewel of Y2K it bags, the Chloé Paddington was the free-spirited younger sister who didn’t care about being absolutely everywhere. It was ubiquitous with the style set, sure, but it’ll surely find new fans with this smartly timed reissue. Below, we’ve broken down five of the new shades, as seen on some of our favorite ladies some 20 years ago, and given them archetypes. Find which tribe you fit in to better help point you towards the Paddington most worth the investment.

Mustang Brown: The Quirky Girl

The lighter tan shade is best set against a rainbow of colors worn on the body; Addison Rae posted a snap from her tour wearing this color. This one’s for the girls who pattern-clash like it’s their job, and don’t try to wear trends. The only trend they follow is their heart’s desires.

Crafty Brown: The Secret Boho

Okay, so Alexa Chung isn’t so secretly a boho girl — she walked the Chloé show last season where the Paddington got its rightful reissue. For every lacy dress and grandma-style pajama set she wears, she toughens it up with a leather jacket and mens trousers, and the darker brown hue of the bag plays well with every shade, even black.

Black: The New-Era Minimalist

Black is the simplest answer, but it doesn’t mean it has to be the most basic. Kendall’s no-frills style falls right in line with the classic handbag color, which doesn’t show off scratches as easily as a lighter shade. If you need something to reach for that would match with an outfit you put together in 30 seconds, the black is your answer.

Cloudy Cream: The Risk-Taker

A white bag? In this economy? Buying something so stark means you’re willing to see it get used and abused. Make like LiLo and use it as your daily driver, stains and scratches be damned. Offset it with pastel colors like a dusty pink or muted blue, or make it shine with an all-black look.

Winter Ivy: The 2010s Devotee

It’s hard to tell in this photo, but a dark green bag adds that extra oomph to a subdued color palette. Make like Nicky and wear your best sneaker wedges and Nicolas Ghesquière-era Balenciaga ready-to-wear with this unexpected shade. This will also be a great bag come January or February, when your black puffer needs a bit of warmth in the form of a shoulder-slung accessory.