People have been buying these 10 designer handbags during the lockdown

(Image credit: 2020 Edward Berthelot)
Penny Goldstone
By Penny Goldstone
published

While many things remain uncertain during this global pandemic, it seems like there is one constant: the power of a good designer handbag.

So much so that sales are up by almost 85% year on year at Net-A-Porter, with customers especially loving bags by Saint Laurent, Gucci & Loewe, as well as leather based day bags by Jacquemus and By Far.

Call it escapism, or wanting to get ahead of the spring/summer bag trends, but the accessories are more popular than ever, and even though UK orders can't be shipped yet (the warehouse will open again when it's safe), customers have either pre-ordered for later shipping, or gone via the Hong Kong site, which does still ship.

Scroll down to see which top 10 bags have been the most popular for the past six weeks.

1. Loewe Puzzle Mini Textured Leather Shoulder Bag, £1,250

2. Gucci Soho Disco Textured Leather Shoulder Bag, £805

3. Gucci GG Marmont Camera Small Quilted Leather Shoulder Bag, £885

4. Bottega Veneta The Pouch Small Gathered Leather Clutch, £1,050

5. Loewe Puzzle Small Textured Leather Shoulder Bag, £2,100

6. Gucci GG Marmont Camera Mini Quilted Leather Shoulder Bag, £800

7. Loewe Small Leather Trimmed Woven Raffia tote, £395

8. Saint Laurent Kaia Mini Leather Shoulder Bag, £880

9. Loewe Puzzle Small Leather Shoulder Bag, £1,900

10. Bottega Veneta The Pouch Small Gathered Leather Clutch, £1,050

As you can see, some styles - hello Loewe puzzle bag and Bottega pouch - have been so popular, they've been selling in all colourways and sizes.

That said, the demand for relaxed, comfortable loungewear has been even stronger, with track pants being a key driver at +1303% versus last year.

The very definition of hi-lo fashion.

Penny Goldstone
Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.

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