J.Crew trench, similar | AGOLDE jeans | Gucci sandals | Dior “Caro” bag, similar | ATM tee | Gucci sunglasses
You never leave home without it … so make it count!
This past week, I received many messages asking me about handbags. For example, you wanted to know which bags are my favorites, and which is the “better” bag between the Gucci bucket and the YSL tote. Well, I love hearing from all of you and decided it was time to do a handbag post! We all have different purchasing patterns — some of us buy shoes and bags all day long, while others prefer to buy clothes. Some love to have as many clothes as possible, while others prefer fewer, nicer pieces. It all works, and it’s an individual choice — the joys of getting dressed in 2022! But here’s a little tip: invest in pieces that really count. You’ll always have great outfits, and I promise, you’ll be happier in the long run!
Today’s post is a roundup of handbags, starting with a little street style and a style board for some inspo. Since we never leave home without a handbag, make it count! I hope you get inspired and start dreaming about your next handbag purchase. After all, that’s half the fun!
P.S. The So Susie website has gotten a big update! First, we’ve added a few shops – vacation, travel, and just yesterday we added denim. It has been really fun, and I hope you like them! There’s also a style boards section to make it a little easier to shop, click here to see it. And, if you’re new to So Susie and want to stay up to date on all things stylish, subscribe now and never miss a post!
Street Style Inspo
Images via Pinterest — Chiara is wearing Prada “Cleo” and Hailey is wearing Balenciaga “Hourglass” — both so cool!
Style Board Inspo
1, find it here too | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6, find it here too | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10, find it here too | 11 | 12 | 13
Taking a cue from Hailey and Chiara, I decided to incorporate their bags since I LOVE them both❤️
First, let me share my personal handbag favorites
I’m quite lucky — over the years I’ve collected several bags that I love and wear ALL the time! Since going on this fun blog journey, I’ve been careful to make sure I also wear them all the time and that they go with many different outfits. Below are four favorites, and my honest reviews.
The YSL puffer is this year’s purchase and became a favorite right away. It’s soft, and it holds more than you’d think. I fit reading glasses, sunglasses, credit card holder, lipstick, keys and probably a couple of other things in mine. It’s easy to get in and out of, and the chain allows it to be dressed up with a nicer outfit. And, it’s perfect for when you’re just running around with a puffer. Now I wear mine most days! It’s also getting hard to find, besides Nordstrom, it’s available here and here.
This Balenciaga canvas tote is hard to get your hands on, but I noticed it’ll be available soon on the Balenciaga website. I just love this bag; it has been on a lot of trips and still looks good. It fits my iPad and loads of other things, and it’s cute with just about everything!
The YSL tote is my run-around, carry-everything bag, including my iPad, laptop and sometimes my crossbody bag. It has also been on many trips and it looks as good as the day I bought it. It also sells out often, but I just noticed it’s back in stock at Nordstrom.
The Gucci bucket bag was last year’s favorite and I’m still wearing it. When I first purchased it, I was a little annoyed that the drawstring didn’t cinch — so I returned it. Then, after talking with my friend who has three of them (she was the Gucci specialist, so maybe she got a deal), she told me it was her favorite bag, and no it doesn’t cinch, and that’s ok. So I re-bought it and never looked back! I’m not super careful with my bags sometimes, but the cream color is still cream 😉
The new “it” bags
Left: @Camillecharriere | Right: @Fakerstrom
I love seeing what the street style fashion girls are wearing, and right now there are certain bags that everywhere — so sometimes they can be hard to get ahold of! The three bags I’m most excited about and “eyeing” right now are the new YSL Le 5 À 7, the Gucci Jackie and the Prada Cleo. All are simple and sophisticated. Balenciaga is also everywhere right now, and the Hourglass bag (which is available in many versions) is the most sought after one. Bottega Veneta took the fashion world by storm several years ago, and I wrote this post about it during my trip to Italy. There are so many cool bags, like this one and this one, go ahead and splurge — you’ll wear it all the time!
Splurge brands
Brands like Loewe, Celine, Fendi and Bottega, to name just a few, are bags that you’ll probably hand down to a loved one. Thankfully, the styles last over a long period of time. I absolutely adore the Loewe Puzzle bag, the Celine Belt bag, the Bottega Padded Cassette bag and the Fendi Peekaboo and Baguette bags!
Best Designer bags under $1,500
Consider these your easy, everyday bags that you’ll use all the time. It’s the perfect way to start with a designer bag … and then you’ll be hooked! I think the YSL Camera bag or Gucci Marmont bags are two of the best around! Here are some favorites below.
Fashionphile — a highly rated resale site
This website has an authenticity guarantee on all their bags. This is serious business so no dupes accidentally slip through. I went down a rabbit hole the other night and found several I’d love to own, including this Celine pouch and this Celine Beltbag. I also spotted my Givenchy bag that everyone asks about — I was so surprised — check it out here!
Canvas totes
Canvas totes are another category I just love! They’re useful, super stylish and there are many to choose from. I really love the Dior book totes, and these by Tory Burch are a great Dior-inspired design. Chloe introduced the “Woody” collection, and there are many cool options there. For a more affordable choices, I love bags by Marc Jacobs — check them out here. Below are some more favorites.
Splurge
Save
Get the look for less
Dress | $30 handbag | Cinq a Sept blazer
One of the coolest things about knowing which designer bags are desirable is that you can quickly spot the ones inspired by actual designers. So, if you prefer to pay a lower price point, there are some amazing options. The $30 bag I’m wearing, available here is a really good copy of this Bottega version, and I admit, I really love it! Mansur Gavriel was accused by Diet Prada of copying Bottega Veneta, although they claimed they did it first! Regardless, I love the Mansur version, and it’s available at a fraction of the cost. I see Tory Burch is doing a Dior-inspired book tote — love — and many hobo versions are starting to pop up, influenced by Gucci, Prada and YSL.
See our save/splurge board here!
Thank you for reading xx
