AOC Debuts Must-Have Telfar Bag On Capitol Hill

Telfar has created the It Bag of the moment, and thanks to one always-on-trend congress member, it’s also become the most buzzed-about fashion brand on Capitol Hill in a long time. Over the weekend, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted leaving the U.S. Capitol Building carrying Telfar’s oxblood medium-sized shopping bag, complete with a matching manicure. To top off the look, she accessorized with black sunglasses and a tie dye mask by Leah Kirsch, who founded her namesake brand out of her apartment in the Bronx in 2013 (AOC loves supporting NYC creators — more on that below).

This is a big deal for a few reasons. For starters, getting your hands on a Telfar bag has been notoriously difficult, with demand for the brand’s signature shopping bags — available in small, medium, and large sizes — skyrocketing in recent months. Bags have sold out seemingly within seconds after each new drop, which ultimately caused the brand to launch its Bag Security Program last week, allowing shoppers to preorder the ultra popular totes for 24 hours (the program is now no longer active).

But clearly, AOC doesn’t need to stress because she owns at least one of the highly sought-after bags. Plus, it’s completely plausible that she may have a few more in her possession given that the brand’s founder, Telfar Clemens, hails from LeFrak City, Queens, which is a part of AOC’s congressional district.

“Telfar Clemens is a HOMETOWN HERO from our district!” the Congresswoman wrote on her Instagram Stories. “Another NY-14 native using their talents to challenge us to question convention and imagine a different world. Our community is so proud!”

On Sunday, AOC took to her Stories to show followers what her Capitol Hill office looks like and along the way, she also gave a peek into her Telfar tote. Among her list of essentials: a shawl (regardless of how hot it is because the air conditioning in hearing rooms on the Hill “can be crazy,” she explained), sunglasses, her binder filled with hearing notes and other documents, notebooks, iPad, water bottle, makeup bag, dental bag, headphones, keys, and wallet.

So, if you’re wondering just how much you can fit into one of these Telfar beauties, the answer is quite a lot. But let’s be honest: Now that this tote has received the official AOC blessing, securing the bag for yourself just got that much harder.