Let them eat Versace bags? This week, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh ignited an online tempest when he was photographed holding a bag emblazoned with a Versace logo outside the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto.
Keyboard sleuths have been unable to determine if it is a shopping bag or a tote, because it is not “this season,” but I believe that the bag in the blurry photo resembles a tote listed on the resale site Poshmark for $750. Current model totes at Versace sell for between $1,000 and $3,000.
But the provenance of the bag is not the primary issue here. Commenters on Instagram and Reddit are up in arms that “Champagne socialist” Singh was flaunting designer fashion in a time of financial pain for many Canadians.

A screenshot from Instagram showing a photo of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh holding a Versace bag.
InstagramDigs included: “He looks like a King Street club promoter with that bag,” and “Just wear a Fossil and rep a Samsonite or something. Be a man of the people not a man that whines for the people atop his perch.”
Singh is known for his sharp dressing skills and has gotten away with status symbols before. He favours slim, bespoke suiting in the British style, which Toronto Life reported a few years ago he has made by a tailor in New Delhi. His Sikh turbans often provide a fabulous pop of colour. He has never been shy about his Rolex watches, fancy bicycles or BMW coupe.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is known for his style.
Althia RajSo why did the sartorial tides turn against him this time? Here’s the simple truth: the thing that is rankling people is the logo. It is a bold design, in bright colours and showy graphics, signalling a vulgar display of wealth. It is a poor choice of optics, in contrast to the understated, easy-on-the-eye style that Singh has become known for. The people can stomach a well-fitting suit, but throw in show-offy symbols and you have a PR problem.
There is a reason the extremely wealthy typically favour “stealth wealth” style, understated items like British old money’s slightly tatty tweeds or Silicon Valley CEOs’ plain black ball caps and $600 T-shirts (the Kendall Roys of the real world). It is because rich people know we want them to look aspirational, but not rub our faces in it.
Celebrities have a specific role in this feedback loop of greed and envy: we simultaneously worship and hate them for their access to fabulous things. This is why Kardashians and social media influencers who flaunt their perks are rewarded in clicks and likes.
But politicians are different, especially politicians who want to appeal to a base of working-class people. This is the reason male politicians literally roll up their shirt sleeves and wear kind of bad ties. If you look too good, people don’t trust you. It’s why Barack wore only black, navy and grey suits. Tan was a shade too far.
For women in politics, it is an even trickier line to walk; the risk of appearing too fancy or too sexy is why generic pantsuits (maybe with a small brooch) are generally the preferred choice.
Singh’s lived experience, communicated through his political storytelling, is complex. The son of immigrants from Punjab, India, Singh received private school education and became a criminal defence lawyer before entering politics. He has spoken of his lifelong experience of racism and consistently championed progressive social justice causes.
The flash of anger is understandable, particularly given the Italian logo in question is designed to signify gilded extravagance, and represents a frivolous world unattainable to most. He can afford it, and while we don’t know the specifics of that (nor is it our business to), politicians make good money, more than most of us. Is spending it rubbing it in?
The bag was a poor choice for Singh. But it is also a cool bag, an exuberant, colourful choice. Part of me wishes we could all fly our quirky flag freely and use fashion as a means of personal expression. But communication via clothing is something that a politician really needs to think through.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks on Parliament Hill on Nov. 21, 2023.
Spencer Colby / THE CANADIAN PRESSSingh is singularly stylish, and his supporters and even critics have been fine with him wearing bespoke yet subtle clothing in the past. But the logo pushed that delicate balancing act over the edge.
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