Mini Trend: Snakeskin Handles

Two’s a coincidence, three’s a trend. It’s not just a saying – it tends to be true, especially when the “three” in question is a trio of handbags from major luxury designers that all share the same sort of peculiar detailing. In this case, it’s snakeskin handles against a bag that’s largely made of regular leather, and Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy have all bought in.

Snakeskin is a bit of a non-intuitive choice for handles. It tends to be more delicate and and show more wear than flat leather, and because handles get more direct use and contact than most of the rest of a handbag, snakeskin has often been relegated to accenting other design elements. Perhaps because handbag trends have made a swing toward the minimal, though, designers are starting to use it on one of the only distinct spaces a simple tote or satchel has left: the handles.

This sort of design tactic also has a practical purpose for a brand’s business: it creates a price level in between a full leather bag and a full exotic one, giving consumers the opportunity to step up without making a huge price jump. Check out the three most popular versions of the look below.