Leila Brillson is a writer based in NYC, and has written for Blackbook, MTV, and Interview, as well as Refinery29. She tweets here.
I don't know if you have heard about this, but Zooey Deschanel was seen with a bunny for a bag. And shortly thereafter, Suri Cruise was spotted toting the same lapin. So, maybe the Mandy Coon Ginny Bag has landed me in company I don't usually keep (Zooey, Suri, and I probably have very little to talk about), but I love the little lop-eared sucker so much. And for two reasons.
The tabloids jumped on ZD for being too precious, and my friends accused me of the same. When I walk into a bar or event carrying my buddy, they roll their eyes in unison. I'm not a cutesy girl. Nothing I do is adorable/twee/sugar-coated, so the bag, with its little button eyes, seems a little incongruous. But I once had the opportunity to ask Mandy Coon about the bag, and its origins are anything but sweet: Inspired by the Shirley MacLaine character in the film Some Came Running, the down-and-out heroine carries around a beat-up old bunny from whence she pulls out her compact and makeup. That type of rough and tumble, comfort-object-as-necessity mentality appeals to me. The girlish items suddenly take on a real-world purpose, and clutching a small, innocent shape filled with "grown-up" objects is somehow satisfying. But the bag is made out of black leather, like Bugs going all S&M, so it mixes something softer and more touchable with an edge. Oh, I also love Shirley MacLaine, too.
But my second reason is purely aesthetic. The bag is a rabbit. With little button eyes and embroidered ears and funny little feet. I love having it hang out with me on my way around the city, like a grown-up imaginary friend. Hopping around the city on my own can really feel isolating, especially with such a frenetic schedule, but then I look down at his (it is a him, by the by) wrinkled little nose and I think, "Are you ready to go Bunny? Ok, me too." And there we are, just a girl and her bunny.