This year there’s been a ton of chatter surrounding designers raising the prices of their handbags, from Chanel to Louis Vuitton to Gucci and more. And if you love handbags, it has sadly become the norm, on average, to pay around $2,000 for a premier designer handbag. $2,000 should and can buy you a beautiful bag, but so many of our favorite bags are priced well beyond. And if you’re looking for a beautiful bag on a strict budget, the pickings are getting slimmer and slimmer.
In past years we’ve used the $1,000 price point to find the best premier designer bags on a budget, but with bag prices continuing to climb, now you’ll need to budget for around $1,200 to find good choices in the luxury space. Of course, contemporary designers are always an option, but sometimes you just want to find a premier designer bag that still fits into your budget. We scoured the internet and checked out 13 of our favorite luxury designers to see what $1,200 will get you. Check out our best finds below!
Prada Tessuto Bowling Bag ($1,150)
Bottega Veneta Belt Bag ($1,150)
Balenciaga B. Small Bag ($1,190)
Givenchy Cross 3 Crossbody Bag ($1,190)
Gucci GG Marmont Mini Backpack ($1,200)
Fendi Flat Baguette ($1,190)
Proenza Schouler Buckle Shoulder Bag ($995)
Chloé C Crossbody Bag ($1,090)
Louis Vuitton Daily Pouch ($950)
Chanel Shiny Aged Calfskin Pouch ($1,075)
Burberry Monogram Bucket Bag ($1,190)
Saint Laurent Circle Bag ($1,190)
Valentino Small Rockstud Shopper ($1,175)
Except for the Valentino tote, everything else is ugly AF and not worth the tiny scraps of leather used for their construction- I’m looking at you LV and Chanel.
The Bottega is my favourite, though won’t be spending $1k on a belt bag.
I don’t like black handbags.
However, I am disappointed that the majority of these handbags are so small or in the mini size. I don’t carry large bags, but it would have been nice to see more bags in the medium range that can actually fit a cell phone.
Sadly at this price point most offerings are mini bags, though some of the brands listed above also offer basic shopper totes in this range (similar to the Valentino here).
I find that hard to believe unless you have a very narrow list of brands that you’re using. Again, I don’t carry large bags so pointing out a tote is not a selling point.
Same here. The only black bags i love is the chanel classic flap bag of course and lately just the ysl tri quilt all black envelope bad.
The Saint Laurent Circle Bag is so adorable and well made. I purchased this awhile back, but it couldn’t hold my phone so I returned it.
$1200 doesn’t get you much huh.