Oddly the psychologist Daniel Kahneman did not apply the theories in his bestselling book Thinking, Fast and Slow to the topic of buying a luxury handbag. To make the right purchase encompasses both mental approaches.
If you are spending a lot of money on a bag, on any luxury item, of course said item should provoke an instantaneous response in you; it should make you feel something. However, for your handbag to prove its worth, for it to become an inbuilt part of your fashion identity as opposed to an occasional bolt-on — and rare is the person who can afford for an expensive handbag not to be — you need to do some groundwork.
Some of this is about tapping into what will really work for you. If you are a cross-body person, for example, don’t kid yourself that you are a top-handle one. If obvious logos aren’t your thing, then steer clear, and bear in mind too that some logo-free bags are so easily identifiable that they function in the same way.
Then there’s the matter of size. The luxury industry is regularly seesawing from small to large, and telling us we should be doing similar. Of course it is. That’s what makes it money. You need to be clear-sighted about what works for you. That’s why I would advocate for shopping in person, or at the very least, scoping out in person with a view to buying online and (this is the really important bit) for being enormously annoying — in a charming way, of course — when you do.
I decant all the bits and pieces I like to carry around with me into a cloth shoe bag, and then put that into the bag I am considering purchasing. Does it fit just right? I also become somewhat maniacal about the clasp, opening and closing it at least, I don’t know, 703 times. If said clasp is not effortless to use — and I mean effortless — I am not interested. I try the bag out, walking around the shop, sitting down, standing up, doing cartwheels. (OK, not that last bit.) And I go back several times, in different outfits and different moods. I need my bag to be more than a fair-weather friend.
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Why such geekery? Partly because I am lucky enough to have test-carried pretty much every expensive handbag on the market and it is amazing to me how many of them aren’t quite right. The clasps are my biggest bugbear. How can a luxury brand think — given their prices — that it is OK to market one that is less than perfect? But there is also a huge variety in leather, if not in quality, then in durability. To generalise, and with some marked exceptions such as Hermès, if a leather is too textured, that texture may well be easily damaged.
I am going to recommend to you my absolute favourite bags, the ones that for me square the circle best. They aren’t necessarily the newest or the hottest. Because often the newest and the hottest don’t stick around. These are the ones that, to my mind at least, have — and, more importantly, will — stand the test of time.
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Anya Hindmarch’s Wilson
This British bag specialist is obsessive about function, and it shows. Its bags are designed to be hardworking, yet not at the expense of special-ness and not to mention — on occasion — a sense of fun. For a bag that means business the Wilson is hard to beat. (£1,350, anyahindmarch.com)
Chanel’s 2.55
This logo-less style, launched by Coco herself in February 1955, is my preference over Karl Lagerfeld’s later, double-C adorned iteration. The house codes are there in the quilting and the chain, but I love the way it passes below the radar, comparatively speaking. Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, recently described both bags to me as “legends”, and also — more revealingly — as “recruiters”. What better way to sign up to brand Chanel? (£8,850, chanel.com)
Dior’s 30 Montaigne
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The boxiness of the 30 Montaigne makes it distinctive and it’s a great one for dressing up or down. But then it’s an embarrassment of riches at Dior when it comes to accessories. Maria Grazia Chiuri is quite simply one of the best bag whisperers around. There’s a range of 30 Montaigne sizes and shapes; my picks are the classic and the smaller Box. (£3,000 and £2,550 respectively, dior.com)
Colville’s Cylinder
Another small home-grown brand producing some of the most distinctive accessories around. Its range of Cylinder bags, each of them in different colours and patterns, are woven by the Wayuu tribeswomen of Colombia, then finished off with top-notch leather furniture in Italy. Mine gets me more compliments than any other bag I own. (From £600, colvilleofficial.com)
Gucci’s Jackie
I love my very old Jackie, and I might consider a medium-level crime to get my hands on the new dark “ancora red” iteration from Sabato de Sarno, Gucci’s recently arrived creative director. It’s a shoulder bag that somehow manages to look cool rather than dated. The medium size is your ever-after classic-in-waiting. (£2,570, gucci.com)
Hermès’ Constance
I know the Kelly and the Birkin are the Hermès bags we are supposed to want, but I find them a tad cumbersome and would prefer to have the brand’s unbeatable quality — just the best around — in the form of the more manoeuvrable, not to mention less recognisable, cross-body Constance. (hermes.com)
Loewe’s Puzzle
One of my favourites for its modernist aesthetic and its excellent functionality. Conjured up by the Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson (founder of JW Anderson) for the Spanish luxury brand in 2014, it still looks ineffable now. It’s a fashion pack must-carry for a reason. My preferred size is the small. (£2,550, loewe.com)
Louis Vuitton’s Dauphine Soft
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With just the right level of — technical term — squishiness, I love the new-for-this-season Dauphine Soft MM, which has both a chain or a strap carrying option. It feels just right under the arm and looks even better. (£3,300, louisvuitton.com)
Métier’s Incognito
This boutique London-based brand is very much a case of if you know, you know — and also, if you know, you carry. The totes are a particular stand-out, boasting everything from, depending on the style, an interior laptop sleeve to hidden zip pockets for your most precious cargo. The Incognito has an especially cult-like following. (From £1,250, metier.com)
The Row’s Alexia
At once architectural and approachable-looking, the Alexia is further proof that the Olsen twins are very, very good at arm candy, as well as pretty much every other kind of fashion sweet stuff. (£5,530, therow.com)
