I have a friend who brings her Prada bag to the beach. She’s a sensible girl at heart, and her attitude about her bag is that it’s hers, it’s saffiano and it should be able to put up with a little sand every now and then. And largely, she’s right – it never looks any worse for the wear.
Talking about that with her got me thinking about the bags that we see celebrities toting to the beach. During this time of year, our photo agency has plenty of photos of stars sunning themselves with expensive handbags in tow, and to investigate their choices (spoiler alert: lots of Louis Vuitton), we’ve assembled several dozen images of celebs and their beach bags below.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Chanel Shoulder Bag
White Chanel at the beach is only a risk if you can’t have your personal assistant run to the boutique to replace it, I suppose.
Christina Millian
I’m not sure who makes this bag, but it seems perfect for a day outdoors.
Elle MacPherson
I’m not sure about this bag’s origins either, but how could we leave out an icon like Elle on the beaches of Saint-Tropez?
Heidi Klum
Figue Emebellished Tuk Tuk Bag
$795 via Shopbop
Engine-powered raft is one of the ways to arrive at the popular Club 55 in Saint-Tropez. (Many of these pictures are from there.)
Mariah Carey
Céline Luggage Tote
If you expected anything less than Céline at the beach from Mariah, then you don’t know her personal brand very well.
Marysol Patton
Louis Vuitton Damier Neverfull Tote
Real Housewives of Miami star Marysol Patton was on the beach in, you guessed it, Miami.
Natasha Poly
Proenza Schouler PS11 Bag
$1,875 via Proenza Schouler
This is the most buttoned-up I’ve ever seen a supermodel on the beach in Saint-Tropez.
Nicky Hilton
Chanel Flap Bag
Where Nicky goes, great bags follow. Even if it’s onto a dock over the Mediterranean.
Rihanna
Chanel Terrycloth Backpack
I promise this is Rihanna. I swear! Backpacks just make it difficult to get both the star and the bag in the same shot.
Tamara Ecclestone
Céline Phantom Luggage Tote
Tamara is an heiress, so, by definition, she doesn’t have to worry about whether she ruins her white Céline bag in the sand.
Victoria Silvstedt
Alaïa Laser-Cut Tote
Shop Alaïa via Net-a-Porter
Victoria appears to be in either Saint-Tropez or Cannes nearly all the time, and, you know, good for her.
Kourtney Kardashian
Louis Vuitton Monogram Duffel
This picture is from before Kanye came along and redecorated the entire Kardashian clan in Givenchy and Margiela, obviously.
Paris Hilton
Rebecca Minkoff Affair Studded Bag
$345 via Zappos
Paris almost always carries a black Chanel flap bag in daily life, so this seems to be her beach look-for-less version of that idea.
Naomi Campbell
Hermès Picolin Bag
Naomi Campbell, on the other hand, is never in need of a look for less.
Gavin Rossdale
L.A.M.B. Logo Tote
Of course Gavin’s beach bag is from his wife’s line.
Naomi Watts
Louis Vuitton Mon Monogram Neverfull Tote
$1,760 via Louis Vuitton
Naomi Watts has the first of many Nevefulls we’ll see today.
Adriana Lima
Louis Vuitton Stephen Sprouse Graffiti Neverfull
If you’re a supermodel, a limited edition bag that costs four figures is a perfect beach bag.
Serena Williams
MCM Studded Backpack
$880 via Bloomingdale’s
Serena’s beach bag of choice is functional, if quite expensive.
Eliza Doolittle
Louis Vuitton Damier Keepall
$1,720 via Louis Vuitton
The British singer kept her choice in line with many much more experienced celebs.
Kourtney Kardashian
Céline Snakeskin Luggage Tote
Kourtney has carried this bag practically from the moon and back, so why not onto a boat, too?
Cara Delevingne
Mulberry Cara Delevingne Bag
Shop Mulberry via Net-a-Porter
It does bear her name, after all.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Bag
$3,395 via Barneys
Cannes is a fancy beach town for fancy beach bags.
Eva Herzigova
Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Bag
$3,395 via Barneys
Cannes was crawling with supermodels carrying Dolce bags this year.
Minnie Driver
Minnie’s use of what appears to be a reusable nylon grocery bag is easily the least conspicuous beach bag we found on a celeb’s arm.
Avicii’s Friend
Chanel Classic Flap Bag
I couldn’t confirm whether or not the woman in this photo is international DJ Avicii’s girlfriend, but her counterintuitive use of a Chanel flap bag at the beach seemed worth including.
Kourtney Kardashian
Céline Trio Bag
Kourtney clearly enjoys taking Céline to the beach.
Kate Upton
Dior Crocodile Lady Dior Tote
Kate’s gorgeous Lady Dior didn’t go onto the sand, thankfully, but it did get quite close.
Anne Hathaway
Balenciaga Mini Papier A4 Tote
$1,345 via Barneys
That’s clearly a Balenciaga bag, but you’ll have to take my word for it that Anne Hathaway is the person carrying it.
Lauren Siverman
Goyard St. Louis Tote
Frankly, I’m a bit surprised that there weren’t as many Goyard totes as Louis Vuitton ones.
Ariel Meredith
Chanel Flap Bag
Chanel flap bags were a surprisingly common choice, considering they’re enormously expensive and don’t hold very much.
Sofia Vergara
Chanel Flap Bag
Sofia kept her Chanel on the boardwalk.
Candice Swanepoel
Gucci Nouveau Fringe Suede Bag
$2,500 via Gucci
This look was for a photo shoot, which explains the sweater-and-suede beach look.
Georgia May Jagger
Alexander Wang Rockie Bag
$795 via Barneys
Another odd choice, functionally speaking.
Katie Holmes
Valentino Camouflage Rockstud Tote
$2,345 via Nordstrom
The thought of suede near water makes me very nervous, even as a concept.
Molly Sims
Louis Vuitton Mon Monogram Neverfull Tote
$1,760 via Louis Vuitton
In some ways, the Neverfull is actually the perfect luxury beach bag – roomy, flexible, lightweight and made of durable coated canvas.
Alessandra Ambrosio
I don’t know how you make a beach clutch work, but Brazilians understand things about this subject that I don’t, probably.
Jessica Alba
Coach Borough Bag
$598 via Coach
Jessica is wearing so much clothing at the beach because she was filming a movie.
Brittny Gastineau
Chanel Chain Trim Flap Bag
This whole getup feels very 2004 to me.
Jessica Alba
Prada New Canvas and Saffiano Tote
Shop Prada via Bergdorf Goodman
Somehow, Jessica Alba makes Prada look like a totally logical beach choice.
Rita Rusic
Hermès Birkin
This Croatian singer might be in possession of today’s first beach Birkin, but it won’t be the last.
Victoria Silvstedt
Hermès Birkin
In fact, here’s Victoria Silvstedt with a Birkin we saw her take to the beach several times.
Tamara Ecclestone
Chanel Linen Logo Tote
We’ve seen celebs use this bag for nearly everything (including diapers), so why not a trip to the beach?
Kourtney Kardashian
Goyard St. Louis Tote
Kourtney goes to the beach more often than maybe any other celeb we encountered.
Behati Prinsloo
Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote
A Victoria’s Secret Model, a Neverfull and the Beach: A Love Story
Anne Vyalitsyna
Louis Vuitton Monogram Tote
Not a Neverfull, but it’ll do.
Irina Shayk
Celine Zipper Cabas Tote
This might be Irina’s favorite bag of all, no matter the location, based on what we’ve seen of her collection.
Marc Jacobs
Hermes Birkin
Marc Jacobs is among the most ardent fans of the all-terrain Birkin.
Victoria Silvstedt
Hermes Birkin
Right up there with Victoria.
Paris Hilton
Chanel Flap Bag
This may be another example of Chanel at the beach, but at least it’s not leather Chanel.
Katie Holmes
Hermès Steeple Tote
$3,475 via Hermès
This was from the Tom Cruise days, when Katie sneezed and an orange box appeared.
Victoria Silvstedt
Chanel Flap Bag
Not only a Chanel bag, but a light, leather Chanel bag. Victoria’s inappropriate beachwear game is strong.
Marc Jacobs
Hermes Birkin
Yet another beach Birkin, as well as the Vuitton tote that former partner Lorenzo Martone is carrying.
Lil Kim
Louis Vuitton Vernis Alma Bag
$3,100 via Louis Vuitton
I’m not entirely sure that Lil Kim is designed for beach-going.
Kim Cattrall
Chanel Rope Tote
This photo is from Kim’s time spent filming one of the Sex and the City movies, and it also perfectly captures my mood about being in the office today.