Guess takes the Allegra bag for a test drive in its latest campaign

We’ve all heard it before: “They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” And maybe you associate that kind of declaration with your grandad or a group of middle aged men at the pub, but for some things it holds true. Take cars, for example. In the new Guess campaign Allegra Shows Off, the brand proves that newer isn’t always better, setting its Allegra bag alongside a vintage roadster.

Taking direct inspiration from the classic car itself, the campaign hones in on three key elements of the Allegra bag: form, feel, and function. When it comes to ‘form’, sculpted lines and a pleated structure borrow from the sleek, architectural shape of the car, while ‘feel’ hones in on the soft faux suede and polished hardware (including the retro bronze G logo) that mirrors the vehicle’s interior. 

Then, there’s ‘function’. With a focus on versatility, the bag is built to move. As campaign star Maura Higgins – Irish TV personality, Love Island finalist, and upcoming contestant on Dancing With the Stars – says in an accompanying campaign video: “She’s got places to be.” 

With faux leather detailing and knotted laces crafted to emphasise this high-octane lifestyle, the bag is pitched as more than a mere accessory by Guess’s Nicolai Marciano. “At Guess, accessories have always been statement pieces,” he says. “Allegra is exactly that – distinctive, tactile, endlessly wearable, confident and unmistakably ours.” Available from this August, it comes in shades of cognac, espresso and olive.

The Allegra Shows Off campaign was created to… well, show off the bag’s best facets. Shot in a minimalist studio, bright spotlights and hard lines emphasise its sculptural silhouette. The stripped-back world of the shoot is “cinematic, aspirational, [with] a femininity that’s expressive, effortless, and completely self-possessed,” Marciano says. As Higgins puts it: “Hard not to stare.”