10 MOST WANTED DESIGNER BAGS
Every season, new handbag trends make their way from the runways to the streets, where we eagerly await to scout said accessories. Although several trending styles are sure to liven up your look instantly, their longevity is not always certain, for they can become “dated” as quickly as they came into style. But that’s not the case with the most popular designer handbags, because they’ll retain their value. After all, they are cult classics.
Of course, it can be tricky to discern which luxury handbags are worth investing in, especially when so many come attached with a pretty hefty price tag. Luckily, there’s one straightforward way to decide what type of designer bag deserves a spot in your collection: popularity. When in doubt, nothing is a better indication of a bag’s long-term value than if it’s continuously sought-after season after season. But if you’re unsure which bags are the most coveted, you’ll want to keep reading.
Ahead, we’ve rounded up the 10 most popular designer bags of all time based on their continued resale value and prominence in the street style scene. Read on to see which bags made the cut.
The Most Popular Designer Bags Ever
1. The Birkin Bag
One of the most popular designer bags to date? The Hermès Birkin bag. Named after Jane Birkin, the style has been coveted since its inception in 1984. According to The BBC, the Birkin bag “was a happy accident, borne out of an exchange between Birkin and former Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight from Paris to London in the early ’80s.” Despite its accidental origin, the iconic designer handbag has remained popular over the years, with Hermès updating its style to keep it relevant. The Birkin Bag comes in various sizes, starting from the original 35 version (14″ W x 7.5″ D x 10.75″ H) and now includes the Birkin 25 (25 inches), Birkin 30 (30 inches), Birkin 40 (40 inches), as well as limited-edition styles and sizes.
But we’ve seen the bag adapted over the years to include various colorways and rare exotic leathers, leading to them become collector’s items. While so many versions of the Birkin bag are now available, the best-selling version continues to be the classic 35 version, with its distinct top-handle silhouette that features no additional crossbody straps and the brand’s signature hardware. With the brand’s offering of repairs and limited warranties, there’s no wonder that this bag has continued to be as popular as it is today.
2. The Chanel Classic Flap
While the first-ever flap bag came in a black leather quilted material with gold hardware in a medium size (9.9″ H x 6″ W x 2.5″ D), it’s since evolved. Chanel has released not only the signature style in five other sizes but also in almost every colorway imaginable: beige, white, gray, red, and so on. But on top of that, the style has also come in various textiles over the years—from shiny patent leathers to jacquard tweeds to printed denim and even rare exotics. If all the bag variations weren’t enough to prove how collectible the Chanel Classic Flap bag has become, then one only needs to check the brand’s warranty policy as proof. With the brand offering a five-year warranty for bags purchased directly from it, alongside repair services, you can rest assured that your Chanel bag is worth committing to for the long haul.
3. The Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote
If we were to choose one item that paved the way for the popularity of prominent logos on bags, it would have to be the Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote. Although the bag is now one of the French house’s best-selling items of all time, it wasn’t released until 2007. Its debut was met with instant fanfare, quickly appearing in the arms of celebrities like Katie Holmes and Paris Hilton. But besides how beloved this bag has been with Hollywood’s glitterati, what’s continuously sustained its popularity is undoubtedly the Neverfull Tote’s timeless shape. Boasting a spacious interior with pockets and a canvas leather exterior covered in the interlocking “LV” logo, it melds functionality with high fashion into a single bag. While the first version of this bag came in the Grand Modele size (5.7″ H x 13″ W x 7.9″ D) in the brand’s signature monogram canvas with a cherry interior, it’s been adapted since.
Not only can you now shop the Neverfull Tote in three other sizes, including a baby size “BB,” a petite size “PM,” and a medium size “MM,” but also the tote now comes with the option to choose the exterior and interior materials—for the latter, you can choose between the inside of the bag being beige, rose, or cherry. For the exterior, the canvas letter can also be shopped in the brand’s signature Damier Azur, aka the checkerboard print, or the Monogram Empreinte Leather, the giant version of the “LV” logo that’s embossed onto the canvas leather. Additionally, Louis Vuitton will release limited-edition versions of the tote that are collaborations with artists, designers, and creatives, adding even more culture to this cult favorite. The only con to the Neverfull Tote bag is that Louis Vuitton does not offer a warranty on its bags, but because the brand offers repairs and the style is one of the few designer bags that retain a high resell value, it’s still an excellent investment.
4. The Gucci Jackie Bag
A roundup of the best luxury bags is not complete without mentioning Gucci. Although the Italian luxury house has been accredited with releasing some of the buzziest luxury bags in history, none is quite comparable to the popularity of the Jackie 1961 Shoulder Bag. Anyone who shops second-hand luxury goods can attest to the continued value of this style. Despite its release years ago, it’s remained a symbol of luxury because of its retro-inspired shape that’s both pragmatic and posh at the same time. Characterized by its half-moon crescent shape with an adjustable shoulder strap, the bag is one of the house’s more low-key styles featuring few logos, only the prominent piston lock hardware.
Because of the style’s enduring appeal, the house’s former creative director, Alessandro Michele, reintroduced the style in 2020 with a few updates. Part of those changes included expanding the size offering beyond the first medium iteration (13.5″ H x 9.25″ W x 2″ D) to include small and mini versions. Additionally, the newer version of the Jackie 1961 Shoulder Bag includes more colorways, different textiles, and a detachable crossbody strap, allowing one to style the iconic style to be worn in a variety of different ways. The house’s continued adaptations of this bag, plus Gucci’s one-year warranty for styles purchased directly with the brand, ensure that this style will remain stylish for years to come.
5. The Celine Triomphe Shoulder Bag
We’ll go ahead and say it: The Triomphe Shoulder Bag may be the best Celine bag of all time. Debuted in 2018, the style has arguably become one of the most sought-after bags in the fashion world. The overnight popularity of this bag might have caught some in the fashion world by surprise, considering that there was a devoted following to Phoebe Philo during her reign as Celine’s creative director. But in the first year of his appointment, Heidi Slimane managed to continue (if not amplify) the buzz around the brand with his creation of the Triomphe Shoulder Bag. What has made the bag one of the most coveted designer bags over the years can be attributed to its compact yet utterly chic shape: a square silhouette featuring a folder-over flap adorned with prominent interlocking motif hardware that references the chains surrounding the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris.
While the original version of this bag, The Classique (9″ H x 6″ W x 2″ D), amassed a cult following, Celine’s continued reinventions of the classic have kept people coming back. For now, shoppers can find the signature style in various sizes, including a teen size, mini size, and even a rectangular baguette shape. On top of that, the brand has expanded the colorways and textiles offered—there’s everything from camel-hued leather iterations to butter-yellow bags made from exotic lizard leather. Ensuring that the style is versatile enough to fit into anyone’s wardrobe.
6. The Dior Saddle Bag
What designer handbag has secured a spot in the wardrobes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Rihanna, and even Rosalía? The Dior Saddle Bag. Debuted in 2000 when John Galliano was still at the house’s helm, the bag immediately set itself apart from other styles at the time because of its unique shape. Inspired by a horse’s saddle, the bag has a curved shape that nestles comfortably underneath the shoulders with a front flap (although some vintage versions do not) and Dior’s signature “D” hardware attached. With such an easily recognizable shape, it’s no wonder the bag has managed to be cemented as a collector’s item in its own right. But to say that the bag’s shape was the only reason this bag attained that status would be selling it short.
It has maintained a high resell value because of the many renditions of the Dior Saddle Bag over the years, plus its offering of repair services and limited warranties. While the most popular version of the style remains the classic size (9.5″ H x 8″ W x 2.5″ D), the French house has released special editions of the bag that are equally noteworthy. For example, there are versions of the Saddle Bag in two other sizes (micro and mini), a vast array of colors available, and even printed versions created in collaboration with famous artists. All of this is to say that there are so many types of this bag out there that it makes for a timeless addition to your own collection.
7. The Loewe Puzzle Bag
Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags might be recognizable to the masses, but Loewe bags? They’re more discreet, making them all the more desirable for discerning customers. While the Spanish fashion house was founded in Madrid in 1846, we’ve only recently seen the house’s popularity soar to new heights. One could argue that the brand could not have reached its status as one of the coolest luxury brands among the in-crowd without the Puzzle Bag. Released in the brand’s S/S 15 menswear collection, the Puzzle Bag was one of the first creations by Creative Director Jonathan Anderson. It was met with such fanfare that Anderson was eventually compelled to create versions that expanded past the style’s initial intended usage as a men’s duffle bag to include in the brand’s womenswear collections—thank God! Without the adaption of this bag, one might surmise that the modern “quiet luxury” movement may not have come to fruition. For many popular designer bags, it was long understood that prominently displaying the brand name on the bag served as the signifier of quality. But with this Loewe bag, it was all about centering the craftsmanship.
That’s very clear through the bag’s origami-style shape, which is comprised of leather panels that have been meticulously sown together to create the signature ergonomic design bearing an almost invisible logo. The astute minimalism of the bag has made it a must-have in the minds of many, with the bag’s evolution only further proving its worth. While the first version of the Puzzle Bag was the classic medium size (11.4″ W x 7.7″ H x 5.5″ D), it has since come in various sizes, silhouettes, and shades—most notable in mini, small, and large sizes. Offering you a plethora of options to suit your needs. But we recommend opting for the classic style if you are unsure of what type of Loewe Puzzle Bag to buy. Especially since the brand’s recent news to sunset the Puzzle Bag to replace it with the similar (but differently constructed) Edge Bag is likely to drive up its collectible value.
8. The Bottega Veneta Jodie Tote
Another famous designer handbag that embodies “stealth wealth” sublimely? Bottega Veneta‘s Jodie Knotted Intrecciato Leather Tote. It’s almost ironic that one of the most photographed Bottega Veneta bags among the style set got its moniker from an incident in which Jodie Foster used her vintage Bottega bag as a shield from the paparazzi. In many ways, its origin story foretold just how quickly this bag would reach star status overnight. While some of the style’s popularity can be attributed to the person behind it, the former creative director, Daniel Lee, is only one part of what made this bag so appealing.
In 2020, Lee reinvented the house’s signature woven leather hobo bag by playing with portions and weaving techniques—e.g., the new version comes in a mini size with a knot detail on the handle. But the adaptation doesn’t just stop there, as we saw the cult classic contemporized through offering the tote in more trendy colors, including the now infamous vibrant green apple hue that’s become synonymous with the brand. In addition to playing with color, the signature Intrecciato weaving technique was applied to various textiles outside leather (e.g., denim and suede) and other bag sizes (candy, teen, small, medium, and maxi versions). Ultimately, the sheer number of variations of the bag is what has made it such an appealing style over the years. The Bottega Veneta Jodie Knotted Intrecciato Tote manages to do what few other designer bags can: speak to the masses without impeding on an individual’s sartorial perspective.
9. The Prada Tessuto Re-Edition Shoulder Bag
Don’t forget about Prada! The iconic Italian house has produced its fair share of coveted handbags. But none have pushed the boundaries of what we define as luxury quite like the Prada Tessuto Shoulder Bag. First created by Miuccia Prada in the early 2000s, the style is symbolic of the house’s long history of using innovative materials. Although, at one point, the bag’s now beloved nylon fabrication might not have been associated with “high fashion,” it now has become a shining example of durability and sustainability. For shoppers looking for a bag style that can hold up over time, the Prada Tessuto Shoulder Bag has become the most popular choice. So much so that the bag has retained one of the highest resell values over the years, which would eventually lead the house to reintroduce the style in 2020.
But don’t be fooled; while Prada did bring back the hallmark style with the release of its Re-Edition Tessuto Shoulder Bags, they were not carbon copies of versions in the past. We saw our mother (aka Miuccia Prada) make this style modern by giving them minor updates like adding a detachable leather name tag, a new lining, and an updated leather zipper pull. While the size of the nylon baguette was not altered from the original (8.5″ W x 7″ H x 2.5″ D), most notably, the ’00 and ’05 styles came with the option of different types of shoulder straps—i.e., the traditional non-adjustable leather shoulder straps or detachable chain or woven straps long enough to wear across the body. But possibly the best example of the alternations made to the cult classic were the colorways; versions range from jet black nylon embellished in crystals to pale pink saffiano leather. Proving this Prada bag is punchier than ever.
10. The Fendi Baguette
Last but not least, we would be remiss if we did not mention the bag that has captured the collective imagination of the in crowd for years: the Fendi Baguette. Since its initial release in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi, no other designer handbag has held as strong of a grip on the zeitgeist as this shoulder bag. Over the years, the Fendi Baguette has permeated every aspect of pop culture, from our television screens to the street style scene. What’s made this bag so popular, besides it being carried by some of the most beloved style icons of our generation (e.g., Sarah Jessica Parker and Zendaya), is its innate wearability.
Characterized by its signature baguette-inspired silhouette, the bag has a prominent fold-over flap adorned with the house’s interlocking “FF” logo hardware, making it the perfect item to nestle onto the shoulders. Typically, the original versions of this came in a logo-covered jacquard weave in the classic size (10.2″ W x 5.5″ H x 1.6″ D), but we’ve seen it reinvented in several ways. Of course, one of the more obvious ways the style has been adapted is through its size offering—it now comes in three other sizes: nano, mini, and large. But in addition to size, we’ve seen so many special-edition versions of the bag that come in different textiles, prints, shades, and even adapted shapes that it’s no surprise it’s maintained its allure. For so many fashion people, this isn’t just another designer bag; it’s a Fendi baguette! The style captures the essence of what we want all our handbags to do: add fantasy back into fashion and luxury into our daily lives. Luckily for us, this Fendi bag does both of those things.
