People bought these 5 designer handbags during lockdown

The pandemic and subsequent lockdown have changed our shopping habits for good it seems, with many of us turning to sustainable fashion brands and investment pieces we can love for seasons to come.

Interestingly, a shopping category that has seen a massive in the past six months is designer handbags, with customers saving up for entry-level designers as well as runway accessories, according to Net-A-Porter.

The luxury e-tailer looked at its customers shopping baskets over the past six months, and noticed a shift towards this wardrobe staple.

A spokesperson told me, 'Customers used the last few months to finally invest in their "forever bag" with a preference for bags with shapes which are soft and supple. Entry level priced ones, from trusted luxury brands, such as Loewe Paula’s Ibiza Raffia Woven Tote and Flamenco Clutch, Bottega Veneta’s mini Jodie and the Gucci’s Horsebit have been consistent customer favourites in the past six months, at NET-A-PORTER.'

Staple bags from brands including Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Gucci and Saint Laurent were the most popular, which you can shop below.

LOEWE + Paula's Ibiza small leather-trimmed woven raffia tote, £395

<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=24448&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.net-a-porter.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Floewe%2Fpaulas-ibiza-small-leather-trimmed-woven-raffia-tote%2F1242825" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">LOEWE + Paula's Ibiza small leather-trimmed woven raffia tote, £395

BOTTEGA VENETA Jodie mini knotted leather tote, £930

<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=24448&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.net-a-porter.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Fbottega-veneta%2Fjodie-mini-knotted-leather-tote%2F1256415" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">BOTTEGA VENETA Jodie mini knotted leather tote, £930

GUCCI 1955 Horsebit small leather-trimmed printed coated-canvas shoulder bag, £1,670

<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=24448&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.net-a-porter.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Fgucci%2F1955-horsebit-small-leather-trimmed-printed-coated-canvas-shoulder-bag%2F1292251" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">GUCCI 1955 Horsebit small leather-trimmed printed coated-canvas shoulder bag, £1,670

SAINT LAURENT Loulou Toy quilted leather shoulder bag, £945

<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=24448&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.net-a-porter.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Fsaint-laurent%2Floulou-toy-quilted-leather-shoulder-bag%2F1324377" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">SAINT LAURENT Loulou Toy quilted leather shoulder bag, £945

LOEWE Flamenco mini leather clutch, £1,200

<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=24448&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.net-a-porter.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Floewe%2Fflamenco-mini-leather-clutch%2F1284713" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">LOEWE Flamenco mini leather clutch, £1,200

While these are by no means affordable, it seems like customers are investing wisely, plumping for handbags that are classic in style so won't go out of trend next season.

Plus, buying a good quality piece will ensure it retains its shape nicely. In fact, leather looks even better with age.

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.