A reader wrote to me last week the most wonderful email asking for guidance on bags:
My objective is better health, simpler living and good clothing choices that are interchangeable and comfortable. May I ask what you would suggest for 3 (three) basic multi-functional purses that can be used for daytime?
Her objective resonates with me deeply, and I kept that in mind as I thought of her question. I approached it, of course, from my style perspective (she also prefers black though!), and with the ultimate goal of finding bags that are very high quality workmanship, beautiful, and effortless to use/wear.
If I were building a bag wardrobe from scratch, I would indeed choose one small(er) crossbody bag, one shoulder bag, and one tote that would be appropriate for work (lugging a laptop) AND travel as a multifunctional carry-on.
The smaller, crossbody bag could be for quick trips where nothing much is needed, but should still be practical (have pockets). It could also be used for vacation when you don’t want to carry everything but the kitchen sink, and still want to stay organized.
1 Marsell mini Punta shoulder/crossbody bag | $638
2 Proenza Schouler PS11 (pre-loved) | $316
3 Issey Miyake Bao Bao small prism crossbody | $350
4 Marni Bandolier (pre-loved) | $500
5 Tumi Capri crossbody bag | $195
6 Alexander Wang Crossbody bag | $495
7 Stella McCartney small tote/foldover crossbody | $995
I have been looking for a smaller bag that I can wear crossbody for ages, so I got really excited about rounding up my favorites here; I would really love to carry less on some occasions, and a smaller bag I can wear across my body, but haven’t found the right one yet. I actually will be getting the Tumi bag, as a vacation/travel bag (I have resisted Tumi generally because of the brass/shiny hardware, so I appreciate that this one has subdued hardware). And if money was no object, I would get the Stella McCartney bag for sure.
Everyone has such different needs when it comes to bags, but I think there’s one for everyone here 🙂 The Alexander Wang for a little edge, and lots of zippered pockets, The Issey Miyake for Japanese simplicity, Marsell or Marni for effortless chic, Italian Style LOL. And Proenza Schouler for beautiful hardware.
8 Lo & Son’s Edgemont tote/backpack | $128 – made from recycled polyester
9 Feit large tote bag | $900
10 Agnes Badoo canvas/leather tote | $500
Tote – for work/computer/travel, somewhat structured, with pockets. My heart loves the Feit and the Agnes Badoo bags the best here, but for practicality’s sake, nothing beats Lo & Sons. I wouldn’t carry this tote as a backpack necessarily, but I love that it’s convertible should I want that option, and that it has an insert to keep your computer padded and pockets for other things. Bonus that it’s made from recycled polyester and that it slips on suitcase handles. (I love my Lo & Sons backpack for travel).
11 Are Studio Fan Tote | $436
12 Crescioni Logan Bag (shoulder/crossbody) | $675
13 Clyde rectangle bag | $488
14 James Perse hobo bag | $550
Shoulder bag for day : I am very very very very particular about what I carry everyday. I generally prefer a shoulder bag with one strap, an outside pocket, but I also like the bag to have shorter handles to use the bag by hand. I do LOVE a good hobo bag that has a little structure at the bottom. My Transience bag suits me very nicely for a hobo bag, and as you may be aware, I mostly carry a Marsell Dritta 4 bag everyday; it is my holy grail bag.
These are a mix of slouchy and structured, depending on your preference. I love the Are bag and think that would be a wonderful daily bag if you like a little slouch. The Crescioni bag is just beautiful, and could also be worn crossbody. Of course, I love James Perse’s canvas…it holds up nicely to wear, although it’s not as easy to clean as it should be.
Do you have a “bag wardrobe” of several bags you interchange depending on your needs? What are your favorite bags?
Any other suggestions??
I’m using a vintage west African sisal tote at the moment because it’s cute, holds a ton of stuff, and generally I can find these types of bags for cheap at estate and garage sales (I think I got mine for $20, although on Insta people seem to try to get $60 for them…). They’re also a great material for summer, but I’m struggling with a wintertime bag. This winter I grinned and bore it with the sisal because in CA it A) didn’t rain a ton this year and B) I was barely outside if it did, so I got away with having an open-top bag, but I’d like to find a good solid purse that works year-round… but I don’t even know what it would look like. I tend to steer toward vintage coach leather bags because they’re simple and timeless and affordable on eBay, but lately I’ve been thinking they’re TOO simple but I don’t know what I’d get otherwise. See my indecision!? I don’t even have a clear idea of what I want. I guess I’ll just know it when I see it, but for the meantime I’m making do with my sisal 🙂
I recently got a Caraa sport studio bag that I use for a work/computer bag, gym bag, and large purse or carry-on. I have the smallest size and it works perfectly for me because I have a small MacBook, and I love that it comes with different straps to convert from a shoulder bag to a backpack. I was really impressed with the quality of the fabric and leather when I received it, and there tons of pockets to organize my stuff. It does come in black but I couldn’t resist the gorgeous Burgundy one–now I really want a larger one in black. Oops.
Brown Bottega Veneta messenger crossbody for travel/cities, denim blue Bottega Veneta large hobo for suburban in and out of car, waxed canvas Duluth pack for travel with laptop. The first two I adore and can’t really imagine switching out for anything. The Duluth isn’t quiiiiiiite big enough to be put the cross body into, so I am languidly thinking about getting a different pack. Maybe this one: https://shop.karastore.com/products/backpack-leather-pebble-black.
And I don’t switch out colors, so, have worn the blue hobo out and am thinking might replace with a cognac one if BV would release it in that color.
I’m a bag person and have many but if I had to narrow my collection down to one each I’d choose from the following: Crossbody: Gucci Soho Disco in black or Givenchy mini Pandora in Pepe Black. Both of these are among my most used bags. I’d consider them small, not mini, as they hold a decent amount of stuff. Looks good with everything dressy or casual and is light & comfortable enough to wear all day. Shoulder: Longchamp Le Pliage or Neo Tote: LV Neverfull MM in Damien print with a bag shaper. I’d also add a backpack: Rebecca Minkoff Julian in taupe (it’s kind of a greige color and looks great with all my EF clothing).
I just bought the Cuyana classic shoulder bag in black–very roomy but not TOO big, I think it’s the perfect cross body handbag for my needs right now. Also got the Tory Burch Fleming Tote in black–holds my MacBook Air and a ton of other stuff…I’m planning to use this one for an upcoming flight, and I also bought two Kara bags–the small backpack in a crinkle metallic color (not black, yay!), and the waist bag in black…LOVE both of them. I’m definitely a bag person too 🙂
I have a small collection of Rebecca Minkoff bags — for function and organization an older black MAB mini is still my favorite. I like satchels and recently bought a grey Marc Jacobs Recruit Bauletto bag–which is smaller and lighter than the MAB mini but still functional. I love crossbody bags and use one whenever practical. If I were to choose from the ones above I would go with the Proenza Schouler crossbody and the Are Studio Fan tote — the James Perse hobo bag looks great for summer. The Stella McCartney bag is lovely too–it’s hard to find nice non-leather bags. I covet your Marsell Critta 4 bag — so simple and perfect.
I am not at all a bag person. I hate having to move stuff from one bag to another so I just use one bag. I do like seeing how people use different bags with different outfits, but I’m too lazy to bother. I was using a black Coach bag, but my mom got me a Dooney & Burke bag for Xmas and even though it’s grey and brown I really like the pockets in it so I’ll be using that for a while and then switch back to the black Coach bag. I use bags until they fall apart, literally. The last bag before my Coach one was a cross body brown Fossil bag and the leather on it was peeling away it was so worn.
Love me a bag wardrobe. I have on order via Kickstarter what I hope will be my ideal work tote…it is now available for preorder on this website
https://inkandvolt.com/product/laptop-bag-15-inch/
For a small bag, I had been using a Tumi wristlet for years (just big enough to hold my large iPhone as well as acting as a wallet and lipstick holder), I am now using a great little Downey and Burke wristlet in an olive leather that has a few more pockets and am loving it. I just toss it into one of my bigger bags when I am needing to use them.
My most used medium size bag is a black Hobo tote that has been in heavy use for 2 years and still looks fabulous. I do usually leave this in my car and just carry my wristlet when grocery shopping etc.
I could go on and on about bags forever, but I’ll keep it short 🙂 I carry around the Everlane market day tote for work, the Polene numero un for everyday (though I switch it with a Celine cabas phantom or Celine sangle when I’m feeling fancy). And I got a small Chanel crossbody for special occasions but not for travel. For travel I like Everlane’s foldover crossbody. Also just wanted to add, I tried what looks like the exact Proenza Schouler bag and it’s a terrible bag. The leather is stiff and doesn’t wear well, plus the bag empty is super heavy.
When I moved to St. Louis over 15 years ago, I bought an old black Coach crossbody for $20. I didn’t use it and held on to it for YEARS. A couple years ago, I started using it, and it’s perfect. Just the right size for a wallet and keys, checkbook, and 6S+.
I buy cheap Target totes for work, use them to bits, and start over. I need a bag that can accommodate legal-size accordion files for work, and leather is too heavy. It’s not perfect, but it works.
I have a work bag (Clare Chase, saddle/tan color) that I love but is a little heavy and small for work files. It’s a beautiful bag for travel and I do use it for work sometimes because I love it!
For international travel, I have an ancient (2003) Eddie Bauer fabric crossbody that is big enough for my wallet, passport, and even DSLR (18-55mm lens). Or a Kindle or book. Also designed well to thwart pick-pocketers. I’ve never found its equal.
I have probably 15-20 other bags, tours
I often go to the gym after work and I also walk a mile from my car to work every day so I needed a roomy, professional looking bag that could hold everything I need for the day. I bought the Caraa Studio 2 bag and I love it! It’s pricy, but I got a good black Friday deal. You can change the straps so it’s either a backpack or crossbody and it holds all my essentials and looks stylish. It also functions very well as a carry on bag for travel. I looked at bags for a long time before buying this one and I’m happy with my investment.
I carry the Everlane Twill Zip Tote ( sold out) for work and travel. It’s light, sturdy, and I love that the dipped bottom means I can rest it on the floor without worrying too much about getting it grimy.
For the longest time I wore (and still wear!) a vintage Longchamp leather crossbody, which is just the perfect size and level of understated-ness for all occasions. Now that it’s starting to look a bit worn out, I decided to splash out on a “grown-up” bag… and ended up with three. Oops. There’s a Sophie Hulme Darwin in a gorgeous poppy red for when I feel daring and FASHUN. Then I stumbled on a used Mansur Gavriel mini lady for a great price and couldn’t resist. I took it with me on vacation for its maiden voyage and it’s actually turned out to be a great travel bag. You can’t take the kitchen sink with you, but it’ll hold the essentials plus a camera and even a book, and it looks great for evenings, too. Lastly, I had lusted over that Proenza Schouler PS11 for years, but refused to pay full price. After obsessively stalking The RealReal for one of the original classics in black pebbled leather, one finally popped up in great condition and I could not be happier with it.
I realize that three semi-luxury handbags in the span of a year is maybe a little overkill, but I’m really happy with all of them. I’ve found that medium-sized crossbody bags (bonus points if there’s a handle) match my lifestyle the best. I like being hands-free and can’t be bothered with small bags and clutches, and I feel ridiculous carrying big satchels or shoulder bags.
Grechen, thank you so much for your suggestions for 3 daytime, practical bags. I love the comments and ideas that other people have left here as well. It is so unique to see how different people apply creativity and practicality to their wardrobes and accessories ! Once again, your site inspires me and I value the solutions you come up with.
Just wanted to add to this thread and recommend Matt and Nat for a truly excellent non-leather option. They have a range of totes and shoulder bags and cross-body options, everything is sleek and simple, and in my experience is very well made: I bought a Schlepp in black three years ago and it still looks brand new– even the lining is still in excellent shape. I’ve dragged it to work and back every day, onto planes as carry-on, and through all sorts of awful weather. It’s gotten several random compliments too! I can attest that the Schlepp is comfortable (on me anyway) and would think that the other styles would be good too. I’m eyeing the Edle for no good reason except it’s so cute and unlike the Schlepp has a top zipper close, which is the only drawback to it.