Suede is the material that turns a bag from an object into something you want to touch, and it is also the material people are most afraid of. Here is the honest version. Good suede is thick, dense and slightly springy under the thumb. Cheap suede is thin, fuzzy and goes shiny at the corners within a season. The price difference between those two things is real and it is most of what you are paying for.

What suede is not is fragile. It handles dry cold beautifully and it hides scratches far better than smooth calf. What it does not handle is rain, and it will pick up colour transfer from raw denim, so a pale suede bag and new indigo jeans are a bad pairing.

This page runs from $395 to $6700. There is a shoulder bag grid, a small bag grid, and a grid of the larger shapes, plus a Label Love section on the house that does suede better than anyone. Below, the ones worth the investment.

Saint Laurent has quietly become the reference point for suede, and the quilting is why. The icarino matelasse suede shoulder bag at $3100 and the loulou quilted suede shoulder bag at $2400 both use a padded construction that holds its shape instead of collapsing, which is the failure mode of most soft suede bags. The sintra sport suede shoulder bag at $1900 is the entry point and the one I would buy first. The le 5 a 7 supple suede bag is the elegant evening shape, the amalia small suede shoulder bag is the neatest, and the niki suede shoulder bag at $3900 is the one that will still look right in ten years. The jamie quilted suede shoulder bag is the softest of the group.

If you buy one suede bag, buy a shoulder bag, because it is the shape suede suits best. The Tory Burch romy leather trimmed suede shoulder bag at $395 and the Polo Ralph Lauren leather trimmed suede shoulder bag at $500 are the two that prove you do not need four figures. Demellier's the sienna saddle leather trimmed suede shoulder bag at $560 is the best made bag under $600 I have handled this year. Chloé's marcie suede shoulder bag is the one people recognise, and rightly. Balenciaga's rodeo medium suede shoulder bag and Alexander McQueen's wishbone leather trimmed suede shoulder bag are the two with the most presence.

Small suede bags are the ones I use in practice, because suede looks best when the bag is not straining. Studio Nicholson's hagu suede shoulder bag at $1135 is the most understated thing on this page. Isabel Marant's oskan studded suede shoulder bag at $1290 is the one with texture. TOM FORD's small suede shoulder bag and Métier's parallel 22 small suede shoulder bag are both beautifully finished. Bottega Veneta's giorno intrecciato suede shoulder bag is the technical showpiece, Balenciaga's le 7 suede shoulder bag is the most modern line, and Chloé's paddington embellished leather trimmed suede shoulder bag is the romantic option.

The larger shapes are where suede gets expensive, because the panels have to be matched and the structure has to hold. Anya Hindmarch's mortimer suede leather bag at $1050 is the value pick. The Row's terrasse suede shoulder bag is the quietest luxury on this page. Bottega Veneta does the two most impressive pieces here, the barbara medium intrecciato suede tote and the campana intrecciato suede shoulder bag, and both are objects rather than accessories. Versace's pivot leather trimmed suede bucket bag is the most colourful, and the Isabel Marant oskan soft zipped leather trimmed suede shoulder bag is the softest.

A final eight across the range, from the Tory Burch romy leather trimmed suede bucket bag at $395 to the Bottega Veneta jodie small intrecciato suede tote at $5100. The Neous gemini leather trimmed suede shoulder bag at $695 is the sleeper.

Two things will keep a suede bag alive. A protector spray before the first outing, reapplied twice a year, and a soft brush used in one direction when the nap starts to flatten. That is genuinely all. Do not use water, do not use leather cream, and do not put it in a plastic dust bag where it cannot breathe.

I keep mine stuffed with tissue on a shelf rather than hanging, because a suede strap will stretch under the weight of a full bag over time and there is no way to shorten it back.

On colour, tan and chocolate are the two that go furthest. Grey suede is beautiful and shows every mark. If you want one bag to carry for years, pick the mid brown.

Phoebe