Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Style
    2. Shopping

    11 high street bags you won't believe aren't designer

    All the treats, none of the guilt

    Penny Goldstone's avatar
    By Penny Goldstone
    Published 16 March 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    All the treats, none of the guilt

    The bag game is STRONG on the high street for spring/summer 2018, and if you can't quite afford to invest in a must-have designer handbag, this is very good news indeed. All the more so because a bag is the one foolproof way to update your look in this trans-seasonal weather.

    As is the way, high street stores like Mango, Zara and M&S have taken their cue from the catwalk for their on-trend offerings.

    There are plenty of net bucket bags (Mango has a limited edition one that instantly sold out but might be coming back in stock soon), and plastic totes to tick that see-through trend (check out Zara and Forever 21's take on this).

    And while basket bags are still going strong this season, we're welcoming the arrival of Crayola brights as seen at Givenchy and Balenciaga, by way of Topshop and M&S.

    You may like
    • Celebrity Handbags Everyday Handbags are Stealing the Spotlight—These are the 9 Styles Celebrities Including Rihanna and Kaia Gerber are Championing
    • Work bags Need a New Office Tote? These Are the 19 Best Work Bags Fashion Experts Swear By
    • What Lily Loves 17 I Check the New-In Pages Every Day—These Are the High Street Coats I’d Actually Buy, Plus Mulberry’s Latest It Bag

    A purse-friendly bag is a great way to dip into tricky trends too, and & Other Stories has some pretty pastel options if you're not into the head-to-toe ice cream look.

    Scroll down to shop bags that are so chic your friends won't believe they're not designer.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Shop now: Wooden handle leather bag for £49.99 from Mango

    Shop now: MINI WOODEN TOTE BAG for £29.99 from Zara

    Shop now: M&S COLLECTION Faux Leather Cross Body Bag for £29.50 from M&S

    What to read next
    • Designer Sandals From Everyday Flats to Statement Heels, These Are the 4 Designer Sandal Styles Actually Worth the Investment
    • Lily Russo-Bah What Lily Loves: Designer-Inspired Massimo Dutti Hits, Everyday Earrings That Go With Everything & the Prada Bag on My Back-to-Work Wishlist
    • image of Audrey Tautou in Amélie with gift guide products around it Gifts for the Woman... in Her ‘Tiny Treats, Big Wins’ Era

    Shop now: Calla Bucket Bag for £29 from Topshop

    Shop now: Mini Snap Saddle Bag for £79 from & Other Stories

    Shop now: Net tote bag for £49.99 from Mango (sold out but might be coming back soon)

    Shop now: LEATHER TOTE BAG WITH CUT-OUT DETAILS for £99.99 from Zara

    Perspex bag for £10 from Primark

    Shop now: Black Ring Front Woven Cross Body Bag for £22.99 from New Look

    Shop now: O-Ring Crossbody Bag for £15 from Forever 21

    Shop now: Orange metallic reversible beach tote bag for £30 from River Island

    Penny Goldstone
    Penny Goldstone
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Fashion Editor

    Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

    She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.

    Read more
    Celebrity Handbags
    Shopping Everyday Handbags are Stealing the Spotlight—These are the 9 Styles Celebrities Including Rihanna and Kaia Gerber are Championing
    Work bags
    Shopping Need a New Office Tote? These Are the 19 Best Work Bags Fashion Experts Swear By
     
     
    What Lily Loves 17
    Fashion I Check the New-In Pages Every Day—These Are the High Street Coats I’d Actually Buy, Plus Mulberry’s Latest It Bag
    Designer Sandals
    Shopping From Everyday Flats to Statement Heels, These Are the 4 Designer Sandal Styles Actually Worth the Investment
     
     
    Latest in Shopping
    What Lily Loves
    Shopping These Black Leggings Are My Secret to Easy Autumn Style Plus the Celine Loafers I’ll Never Regret Buying
    A scattering of gift guide products on a beige background
    Shopping A Gift Guide for the Eras
     
     
    image of Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface with gift guide products around it
    Shopping Gifts for the Woman... in Her ‘Less Is More’ Era
    image of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde with gift guide products around it
    Shopping Gifts for the Woman in Her... ‘Bring Me Joy’ Era
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Launches: Burberry Beauty / Mes Beauty / rhute / Jo Loves / Ziip Beauty
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Jennifer Lawrence’s Unexpected Haircare Launch, Burberry’s Exquisite New Perfumes and Jo Loves Sparks Festive Joy
    New Beauty Launches: Amouage, Haus Labs, XERF
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Is XERF Worth the Hype? Plus, Amouage’s New Body Collection & The Beauty Beat Returns
     
     
    Jeans And Jackets
    Shopping Celine Dion, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sarah Pidgeon Swear by This Trophy Jacket-and-Jeans Formula for Instant Fashion Confidence
    Next
    Shopping NEXT’s Autumn/Winter 2026 Collection Has Everything We Love About Getting Dressed in the Colder Months
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.