Bags
Bags
Fall, Narrowed To Five Houses
Fall shopping has split into two behaviours: graze everywhere, or commit to a handful of houses and buy the whole point of view. This edit is the second one, built almost entirely from five labels working the same dark, tailored register. The narrowness is the argument.
French Autumn, Rohmer Style
Camel knits, pleated skirts and a good loafer: the French autumn wardrobe, the way Éric Rohmer's films dress it. Here is how I would put it together for October, without a beret in sight.
Handbags 2026: The Shapes Worth Committing To
After several years of tiny novelty bags, the pendulum has swung back toward things that hold a phone and a book. Handbags 2026 is shaping up as a season of structure, soft shoulder shapes and hardware you can actually see. These eight are the shapes doing the heavy lifting.
Dressing For The Dark
Maximalism came back not through colour but through surface, which is why this season reads rich rather than loud. Faux fur, sequin, feather and crystal have replaced the stripped-back minimalism that governed the last few winters. This edit is about texture doing the work that print used to.
Everything Rides On The Outer Layer
For most of the year the outer layer was an afterthought, something thrown over an outfit that had already been decided. That has inverted: the top layer is now the piece the rest of the look is built around. This edit follows what happens to a wardrobe when you plan it from the outside in.
The School Tote Bag Grew Up And Got A Job
The school tote bag used to mean canvas and a slogan, and it now means a canvas bag from a house that also sells leather. Coach, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch and Michael Kors are all making one. That shift is worth paying attention to.
The Case for Buying One Good Bag a Year
The case for buying one good bag a year. A guide to Revolve's handbag edit and what separates an everyday bag from an investment piece.
Everyday Bags and Small Accessories
The short answer on everyday bags and small accessories: pick one anchor piece, keep the palette to two colours, and let the shoes decide how formal the whole thing reads. One piece should lead and the rest should stay quiet; two competing pieces read as an accident.
Large Crossbody Bags for Women, and What to Carry Instead
Everything worth knowing about Large Crossbody Bags for Women is below, starting with the part that changes what you buy. Unlined canvas is lighter but shows every mark; treat it before first use.
Phia-Loved Mini Bags
Pint-sized and packed to the brim with the essentials.
Birkin 40 Price: The Real Cost
What Birkin 40 Price actually costs is a range rather than a number, and the gap between the low and high end here is mostly materials and finishing. Small production runs cost more per unit, which is why a lesser-known label can be dearer than a famous one.
Lulu Backpack, Worth the Money?
The short answer on Lulu Backpack is below, and the honest version is that it depends on two or three things rather than one. Price splits into materials, labour, volume and brand margin, and only the first two are visible in the product.
Tote Bags That Fit a Laptop
Tote bags with room for a laptop that still look like a considered choice rather than a work bag.
Lulu Backpacks, Worth the Money?
The short answer on Lulu Backpacks is below, and the honest version is that it depends on two or three things rather than one. Cost per wear is the only figure that matters, and it favours the plain expensive thing over the interesting cheap one.
Shopping Designer Small Bags: Editors' Picks
These are the Designer Small Bags picks worth your time, chosen on construction rather than on how often they appear online. A strap drop under 22cm will not clear a winter coat.
Best Clutches
We've rounded up the best clutch bags, for all your date nights, weddings, and everywhere in between.
Andiamo Bag, and What to Carry Instead
Everything worth knowing about Andiamo Bag is below, starting with the part that changes what you buy. A strap drop under 22cm will not clear a winter coat.
The Working Girl Wardrobe: What to Buy First
Building a work wardrobe from scratch: which blazer, shirting and laptop bag to buy first, and the order that gets you dressed fastest.
The Best of Bags From the Phia Team
The bags our editors carry most: the everyday shoulder bag, the small evening bag, and the one worth saving for, with the reasons behind each.
Clutch, Pouch, Mini Bag
What actually fits in each one
Bags for all Occasions
A small evening bag is not the same as a laptop tote is not the same as a weekend duffel. But these are the three shapes you actually need.
Bags Worth the Money: Crossbody to Luggage
The short answer on Michael Kors Baby Boys Messenger Bags is below, and the honest version is that it depends on two or three things rather than one. Small production runs cost more per unit, which is why a lesser-known label can be dearer than a famous one.
Alo Crossbody Bag, and What to Carry Instead
Alo's new Italian leather crossbodies, the minis, barrels and buckets, and the other crossbody bags I would actually carry, from Ulla Johnson and GANNI to Coach and Mansur Gavriel.
Denim, Leather and a Watch
When the clothes are plain, the accessories carry the outfit. What to actually buy.