'Morning' glory

The morning after has never looked so fresh. Six years after handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff launched the now-iconic “Morning After Bag,” the It carry-all continues inspiring legions of devotees.

“[Minkoff’s] Morning After Bag is a tried-and-true style. And it has such a following,” says Joyce Packman, VP of fashion accessories at Bloomingdale’s.

Count Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba and Agyness Deyn among fans of the $525 carry-all, which has inspired mini, clutch and mini-clutch versions, coming to stores in the fall.

In the past two years, New York-based Minkoff, 30, has launched a wildly popular line of shoes and men’s and women’s clothing. But her cheekily named bag still makes up 40 percent of her sales.

Caitlin Thorne Hersey

The 411 on MAB

All of Rebecca Minkoff’s bags are named after different phases of love, and she called this tote the Morning After Bag because it was a lifestyle she wished she were living. “I’ve never been that type of girl, but I thought it would be fun,” says Minkoff.

“There’s no year on them . . . so you don’t care if you pull it out after a few seasons. They’re timeless,” says Pamela Edwards-Christiani, People magazine’s style editor.

The bag has been redone in different materials, from simple brown leather to a studded black rock ’n’ roll version — enough of a variety that Minkoff receives regular fan mail from collectors who own more than 25 Morning After Bags.

The tote was born by accident in 2005, when Minkoff, who had a small apparel line, was asked by a friend, actress Jenna Elfman, to design a bag for her character in the movie “Touched.”

“She asked me if I made bags,” recalls Minkoff, “and I lied and said yes.” The designer came up with a rough idea, enlisted the help of a pattern maker and shipped the purse to the set.

Unfortunately, it arrived late and didn’t make it into the film. Minkoff was devastated. “I was so upset that I didn’t even watch the movie,” says Minkoff. But she started carrying the bag around the Big Apple — and gained a following.

“People started stopping me on the street and asking me about the bag. A friend who was a buyer at [LA boutique] Satine began selling it, and Daily Candy wrote about it,” says Minkoff.

The bag sold out after the piece ran, and an accessories maven was born. Ironically, no one remembers “Touched,” but the Morning After Bag is a classic that’s here to stay.

The 411 on MAB

* All of Rebecca Minkoff’s bags are named after different phases of love, and she called this tote the Morning After Bag because it was a lifestyle she wished she were living. “I’ve never been that type of girl, but I thought it would be fun,” says Minkoff.

* Measuring 13-by-8½-by-9 inches, the Morning After Bag can easily fit a pair of shoes, a change of clothes and the everyday sundries a lady needs.

* The MAB comes with a front pocket to stow your license — in case you forget where you live.

* All MABs are convertible, and come with handles and a shoulder strap so they can serve as a cross-body bag or a tote.

* Each bag contains a card with a handwritten note from “Vincent”. The number directs the caller to Minkoff’s Web site, but there used to be an answering machine that gathered oodles of messages from angry husbands and hopeful girls, says the designer.