If brevity is the soul of wit, minimalism might be the soul of elegance. After season upon season of rococo embellishment, studs, beading, embroidery, print, fur and exotics, fashion feels like it’s ready for something a little simpler and a little less look-at-me. The street style ship as we know it has, to a certain extent, sailed. Because handbags are such a distinctive and enduring part of any outfit, the best way to get in the spirit of this sartorial shift is with one of the many minimalist handbags that are currently ripe for the picking.
A minimalist bag doesn’t have to be boring or super modern; the spare aesthetic can be translated skillfully to everything from a retro doctor’s bag to a contemporary backpack, and the lack of design trickery means that the bags details are all closely considered decisions. In a well-realized minimalist bag, every element enhances both the form and function of the piece, which is exactly what any piece of good design should be.
Louis Vuitton SC Satchel
$4,850 via Louis Vuitton
Givenchy Pandora Box Bag
$2,185 via SSENSE
3.1 Phillip Lim Zip Wallet
$375 via SSENSE
KARA Box Backpack
$480 via SSENSE
Thom Browne Mrs. Thom Doctor Bag
$2,950 via SSENSE
Sophie Hulme Box Clutch
$449 via ShopBop
Saint Laurent Betty Bag
$1,890 via Nordstrom
Stella McCartney Beckett Shoulder Bag
$1,230 via Nordstrom
Valentino Stud Chain Clutch
$2,145 via Nordstrom
Annabel Ingall Isabella Tote
$450 via Intermix
Furla Venus Satchel
$548 via Bloomingdale’s
Fendi Leather Shopping Tote
$1,600 via Neiman Marcus
The Row Bicolor Zip Hobo
$2,100 via Neiman Marcus
Coach Borough Bag
$598 via Coach
The Row and the YSL are my favorite. Especially the Row, what incredible design. I can’t wait for the day where my bag doesn’t have to carry a computer so I can “justify” a smaller 2,000 bag because I’ll wear it everyday ;).
love the row hobo, but not quite willing to spend the money on it
OH I dream for a Louis Vuitton SC satchel.. amazing.
Those “doctor” bags crack me up! In the `950s, my late father, an Internist, kept his black pebbled-leather medical bag in the truck of the car. Of course, those were innocent times. Nobody thought about car break-ins, or drugs, or legal liability. But when I look at that $5,000 LV satchel, I can just imagine Dad shaking his head and chucking.
That Row is giving me life right now.