Designer Handbags Autumn/Winter: The 3 Brands To Invest In NOW

(Image credit: rex)

published 25 July 2018

You heard it here first

There are the timeless designer handbags that will always be worth investing in, ie, your Chanel boy bags, Chloe Nile cross bodys or even your Loewe puzzle bags.

Then there are the classics in the making, the niche designer brands that you might not have heard of yet, but are about to serve up the next IT bag.

And no-one knows how to find them quite like Net-A-Porter, who lest we forget were one of the first to stock the likes of STAUD, Ganni and more.

So we asked NAP's Fashion Director Lisa Aiken to share her top handbag buys for AW18. For her, it's all about the brands that can offer product under £500, as it's the site's strongest selling category (up 70% since the previous season).

'For FW18 we’ve bought into lots more contemporary bag brands such as By Far, Trademark and GU_DE,' she confirms.

Lisa adds, 'we can’t talk about contemporary bags without mentioning the success of Wandler. I love the fact that they have had such a huge hit with the Hortensia and developed that into new styles like the Luna. It appeals to the customer thanks to its understated, minimal aesthetic.'

Wandler Hortensia bag, £645 at Net-A-Porter

If you have to narrow it down to just three (tough, yes), these are the ones Lisa's backing for next season.

The By Far 90s vibe baguette bag (launching soon)

Trademark’s new bucket bag (pictured above, launching soon)

GU_DE’s 1970s inspired mock croc bags (launching soon)

However, if you're not ready to move onto next season yet, or simply can't wait for these beauties to launch, here are the four best-selling bag brands on NAP right now. loo

Cult Gaia Angelou tassel bag, £365 on Net-A-Porter

Staud Moreau bag, £310 on Net-A-Porter

Danse Lente Johnny bag, £295 at Net-A-Porter

Yuzefi biggy bag, £495 at Net-A-Porter

Of course, there's always room for surprise hits, however given that STAUD's Moreau bag was the most popular accessory at London Fashion Week last season, and the Cult Gaia Bamboo Ark bag was on everyone's arm last summer, we reckon it's worth following Lisa's recommendations.

There's nothing like having the next It bag before everyone else.

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.