Balenciaga’s Le City bag, the cult-favorite handbag Nicolas Ghesquière designed in 2001, is experiencing quite the renaissance. But of all the celebrities to wear the aughts accessory of late, Keke Palmer styled hers a bit differently. She paired it with an archival piece from Ghesquière’s Balenciaga runway.

Palmer, out in Los Angeles last night, unearthed a fur-trimmed vest from the fall 2008 Balenciaga show. The sleek piece fit the actor like a glove with corset-inspired details that nipped in her waist. Palmer accented her runway vest with a classic Le City in black leather, which is likely another archival pick based on its silver hardware. The versions of the bag that Balenciaga re-issued in 2024 feature a slightly more structured shape and different detailing.

Palmer made her Balenciaga vest party-worthy by pairing it with a mini skirt and Louboutin heels. When the all-black piece debuted in 2008, it was styled on top of low-waist palazzo pants and light brown heeled boots. While it’s always appreciated when stars stay true to how something was worn on a designer’s runway, it’s just as nice to witness them incorporate their own signatures into an archival piece like Palmer did here. Her addition of the Le City certainly helped her case.

Of course, Palmer isn’t the only star to carry the Ghesquière-era handbag recently. Earlier this week, Bella Hadid channeled her inner Olsen twin when she wore a brown suede bag with no pants while out in Los Angeles. Hadid’s version of the bag (never-before-seen until she wore it) is part of the brand’s current re-issue of Le City under its present designer, Demna. The likes of Anok Yai and Kate Moss, who was one of the first to make the bag famous in the early aughts, have also been seen carrying the piece over the past few months.

But what differentiates those stars from Palmer is how they went about styling their bags. Most opted to pair their bags with finds from other brands, unlike Palmer who stayed true to Ghesquière’s sleek vision for Balenciaga with her archival vest. Chapeau, as the French would say.