Pull the cord and the Noé gathers itself together. There is something satisfying about a closure whose action changes the whole top of the bag. The body stays generous; the opening contracts. I like the visible simplicity of that arrangement, especially beside the more composed fastening of an Hermès Birkin.
Louis Vuitton dates the Noé to 1932, when it was devised to carry five Champagne bottles. Its subsequent life as a city bag makes a good argument for keeping a useful shape while changing its context. The blue Epi version pictured here looks quite content to have left the Champagne behind.
The Noé is at home in a conversation about Paris, but its mechanics need no grand setting. A leather-goods specialist can show what the cord does, how the base supports the contents and how it sits at the shoulder. The Neverfull offers another way to adjust an open bag’s outline. A little movement makes both more intelligible.