These top-handle bags are reinventing the classic accessory

From Prada to Hermès, these sleek top-handle bags riff on ladylike 1950s silhouettes in a way that’s anything but prim

Prada and Ferragamo Top-Handle Bags
Left, bag, £3,655, by Ferragamo (available at ferragamo.com), right, bag, £2,650, by Prada (available at matchesfashion.com)
(Image credit: Photography by Neil Godwin at Future Studios for Wallpaper*, fashion by Jason Hughes)

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

Top-handle Bags on Plinths

Bag, £5,350, by Louis Vuitton (enquire at louisvuitton.com)

(Image credit: Photography by Neil Godwin at Future Studios for Wallpaper*, fashion by Jason Hughes)

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. 

Top-handle Bags on Plinths

Bag, £3,200, by Dior (available at dior.com)

(Image credit: Photography by Neil Godwin at Future Studios for Wallpaper*, fashion by Jason Hughes)

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!

Top-handle Bags on Plinths

Bag, £7,710, by Hermès (enquire at Hermès boutiques)

(Image credit: Photography by Neil Godwin at Future Studios for Wallpaper*, fashion by Jason Hughes)
Fashion Features Editor

Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*. Having previously held roles at 10, 10 Men and AnOther magazines, he joined the team in 2022. His work has a particular focus on the moments where fashion and style intersect with other creative disciplines – among them art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and profiling the industry’s leading figures and brands. 

With contributions from