These top-handle bags are reinventing the classic accessory

Forget the slouchy or the oversized, a mood of nostalgic elegance defines this season’s handbag offering, which sees a return to the structured, top-handle styles of the 1950s – albeit reimagined in a multitude of ways that are anything but prim.

At Prada, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ angular take was described by the duo as ‘an open dialogue between past and present’, clashing retro references with a geometric silhouette inspired by the house’s triangular leitmotif (which here becomes the bag’s distinct clasp). 

Refashioning a classic: the finest top-handle bags

Meanwhile at Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière – who has long juxtaposed eras in his distinctly postmodern style – proposed the GO-14 MM bag, designed to be held in the hand and crafted from boldly quilted ‘matellage’ leather to sculptural effect. 

Also quilted is Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest riff on the classic Miss Dior, reimagined as a ladylike top-handle style adorned with the house’s signature criss-crossing ‘cannage’ motif, originally inspired by the design of woven rattan cane which first appeared in furniture in the 18th century. 

At Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis’ ‘Frame’ bag – available in a multitude of colours and iterations, including this version with its graceful twisting metal handle – recalls the traditional pocketbook. Finally, at Hermès, an ever-elegant take on the top-handle style comes in the ‘Medor’ bag, adorned with a tough studded clasp.

A version of this story appeared in the December 2023 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print from 9 November, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!