While the airline officially shuttered several years before I was born, it was still a somewhat relevant in the zeitgeist thanks in part to 2011’s Pan Am, the short-lived period show starring Christina Ricci and (a then-unknown) Margot Robbie. And, earlier in my childhood, my friend Kate had a doll-sized steward’s bag that she paired with the 1970s American Girl Doll, Julie.
Although I’m hesitant to rep labels, especially those of major corporations, there is some über-cool cultural precedent with the Pan Am bag. It was popular with some of the most major acts of the last century, from The Beatles to Fleetwood Mac. Recently, as I think more about what kind of bag I would like to purchase, I find myself checking out the vintage Pan Am bags on eBay, Etsy, Depop, and Poshmark.
Not only is the Pan Am bag reminiscent of a time when travel was chic (unlike the indignity of flying that we know today) but it has the exclusivity of a bag that I yearn for, minus the sky-high price tag. Though, that’s not to say that I don’t have Prada and Pan Am on my wishlist.
