The bags that are right for now

The right bag can bring a favourite outfit from seasons past right up to date. I’m not talking about rushing out and buying the latest It Bag from one of the big brands – although if that’s your yearning, go ahead.

But before you do, know this: what’s uniting fashionistas from

Hong Kong to Houston is the search for the under-the radar, niche name brands, before they too become ubiquitous. The emphasis on littleknown labels started five years ago when Mansur Gavriel, founded by two friends from the foothills of Mount Fashion, took the industry by the throat with their sleek, nicely constructed £300 bucket bags. They were ultra classic, but in glossy leathers that gave them a sophisticated, expensive-looking gleam. The rules of the game changed then and there – the Mansur Gavriel was pronounced the First Postrecession It bag.

Well guess what? Financially, things still feel rocky. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the past couple of years has seen a sprouting of niche bag labels – Staud, Wandler, Danse Lente, Gu_de (pronounced Good), from South Korea, Nico Giani, Chylak, Stelar (which creates artisanal woven bags in

Bali) and Pannyy, a lovely little British house set up in 2017 by Danielle Sassoon, who used to work at Max Mara.

Based in London, made in Italy, Pannyy bags are impressive quality wise, and designed for maximum functionality and versatility. Most of these companies are firmly focused on the sweet spot – £350-£500 (which leaves the dedicated spender with more money to splurge on trainers, which now cost up to £1,000). That £350-£500 is pricey by most people’s standards, but not excessive for something properly crafted and ethically sourced. Some keep costs down by selling directly to consumers and none of them, as yet, is paying for flashy marketing. The big brands, warily on guard, have responded by launching and relaunching ever smaller, simplified versions of their standards. While there is no single It Bag – doesn’t that notion seem crème de la cringe now? – there are a few current shapes and details to note. Bling is out, replaced by interesting textures. Wicker is a favourite this winter; once you get your head around the idea of it not being ordained from on high as summeronly wear, it seems quirkily appealing. Then there’s moc-croc, which is everywhere and lends a chic, retro look that works best on modern, simple silhouettes. The bucket – a pickpocket’s dream, but so user-friendly because there are no fiddly fastenings (keep all your valuables in a pouch at the bottom, under a scarf) is another current darling. But close behind are ever more unexpected shapes: oblongs and circles among them.

Size? It’s all about being disciplined, edited and diminutive – and dumping the overload into a tote that can mostly stay in the car/under/ your desk/in a locker.