Given their size, these small bags have a lot to say. They will not carry crinkled, half-used packets of tissues, for example, and neither will they be a repository for over-stuffed wallets and a spare nappy or snack. Instead, they speak warmly of a woman who needs only an elegant purse, phone and perhaps a lipstick in a creamy rose. “They’re quite ladylike,” says Tara Morris, our shopping editor. “That’s the appeal.”
After the ’90s-inspired mania of the last couple of years, where bags screamed ‘look at me’ with huge clasps, logos and hardware, the new bag is refreshingly minimalist, she adds. “The design feature is the shape and the colour, although most of those I’ve selected below also come in black.”
Two of Tara’s picks are from Staud, an LA-based label with a sunny ’60s meets boho aesthetic. “They were the frontrunners for this new bag shape with their Bisset bucket bag, which was big about a year ago,” she says. “Their accessories are really covetable.”
If you, like me, intend to dramatically reduce the contents of your current bag in order to embrace the ladylike trend, Tara advises keeping the rest of your outfit simple, too. “You could wear one of these bags with a suit or a tailored, masculine jacket for contrast,” she adds. “Most of them have a top handle, so they demand to be carried. In fact, don’t worry about the rest of your outfit. People will just ask about the bag.”
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