We’re only days away from bidding 2014 a permanent farewell, so now seems like an opportune moment to look back at the year in handbags. Below, we’ve enumerated the most important pieces on the handbag market in 2014; they might not be the most beautiful or the most popular, but they all left their marks in one significant way or another. Let us know what you’d add to the list in the comments.
Chanel Graffiti Backpack
The Chanel backpack was a distillation of what makes Chanel such a powerful force in the handbag market: eye-catching, youthful, zeitgeist-y and impeccably branded.
Chloé Drew Bag
$1,735 via Net-a-Porter
Chloé has been an It Bag factory in the past, and this bag is selling at such a rate that it might be headed for that label as well. We’re happy to have Chloé back among the heavyweights.
Coach Dakotah Fringe Shoulder Bag
$725 via Coach
This bag was the most well-received of the marquee pieces from Stuart Vevers’ first collection as Coach’s first new creative director in over a decade and a half, and it’s a good barometer of where one of America’s largest leather goods brands is headed.
Fendi Peekaboo Bag
$3,450 via Barneys
Fendi had a lot of impressive (and impressively popular) bags this year, but the brand’s most notable achievement was bringing the Peekaboo back from the dead. Buyers are snapping it up like a brand new design, not one that debuted years ago and was nearly phased out.
Givenchy Lucrezia Bag
$2,490 via Net-a-Porter
Givenchy has been having consistent success with the Antigona, Nightingale and Pandora for years, but this year, it was the Lucrezia that seemed to be sold out everywhere.
Gucci Jackie Soft Shoulder Bag
$2,350 via Gucci
In a market of increasingly niche products, it was refreshing to see a brand release a new line that’s so sophisticated. The Soft Jackie is for grown-ass women.
Louis Vuitton Soft Lockit Bag
$3,650 via Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton was another important brand that got a new creative direction this year, and this bag was the first marquee release of the new regime. (It was also a testament to how many celebs Vuitton has in its corner.)
Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bag
$625 via Barneys
It’s slightly easier to get your hands on one of these bags than it was last year, but the red-lined Bucket Bag, which has spawned a million copycats in both color scheme and structure, is still the toughest get in the industry.
Saint Laurent Monogramme Mini Shoulder Bag
$1,890 via Net-a-Porter
With this little, logo-adorned bags, Hedi Slimane finally figured out how to imbue a bag with the rocker-glam look that has made his clothes sellout hits.
