Alo started in Los Angeles in 2007, founded by two childhood friends, Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge. The name stands for air, land and ocean, and for most of its life it has meant leggings and matching sets. Last September that changed. Alo launched its first luxury handbags, handcrafted in Italy, each one sold with an intention crystal charm and released in tiny quantities through a couple of dozen of its stores. This fall the line came back with a Steven Meisel campaign and new shapes made in Florence.

 

The crossbodies are the part I find most wearable. The Mini Balance is a little leather drawstring bucket, the Mini Voyage is a small barrel bag, and the Mini Odyssey is a domed bowler with top handles. All three come in black and espresso leather, and all three have a long strap for wearing across the body. The Balance Bucket is the bigger, slouchier version, in black leather or in espresso suede, with a buckled shoulder strap.

 

They look best with exactly what Alo sells: a matching set, a long wool coat, clean sneakers. The minis are small, so think phone, cards, keys and a lip balm, not a water bottle.

 

What I would skip: the Balance Bucket if you want something hands free on a bike or a long walk. It is the slouchy one, and the minis sit closer to the body.

The Alo bags are lovely, but they are not the only answer, and for a lot of days they are not the right one. So the rest of this page is the crossbody bags I would carry instead, cleaned up and reorganized by when you would wear them.

 

The first group is everyday. Ulla Johnson's Charlotte Camera Bag in olive is the most interesting shape, with woven looking panels, and By Far's Trayana in washed black leather is the slouchy, slightly undone one. Cult Gaia's Gaia's Puff is a puffy, gridded little bag in natural, and the CALPAK Colette in canvas and brown leather is a neat little flap bag.

 

For days when it might rain, Tory Burch's Virginia and Stella McCartney's Dartmoor are both black nylon, light and easy to wipe down. Loeffler Randall's Reeve is a camera bag in natural weave with honey leather, and Coach's Soft Tabby 20 is the small black shoulder bag with the big C.

 

A test before you buy any of these: a phone, keys and a card holder should go in without a fight, and the strap should sit at your hip, not your waist.

 

What I would skip: a strap drop under about 22cm if you wear a winter coat. It will not clear the sleeve.

An evening crossbody has a different job. It needs to hold almost nothing, look good on a chain, and sit flat against a dress. The ones here do that.

 

GANNI's Bou East/West in deep shine leather is the one I would wear right now, a long, slim, slightly glossy shape in a dark brown. Cult Gaia's Fiore in black, with its chain strap, and Coach's Brook Flap Chain Bag in maple are the classic flap bags, and the Tory Burch Miller Soft Mini in merlot is the small, squishy one. Mansur Gavriel's Mini Gaia in crema is tiny and very pretty against black.

 

Cult Gaia's Azariah Nano is the sculptural one, a gold half moon with a curled handle. The 8 Other Reasons patent shoulder bag in burgundy is pure nineties, and the Kurt Geiger Kensington Micro is quilted black leather with a chain.

 

A tip: for evening, wear the strap shorter than you would in the day, so the bag sits at your waist rather than your hip. It looks more deliberate.

 

What I would skip: a crossbody with a wide logo strap at night. Save those for the weekend.

These four are the ones with the most personality. Mansur Gavriel's Classic Crossbody in a buttery yellow called Naples and its Secchio in chocolate suede come from the brand Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel started in 2012 with a bucket bag, and both have that clean, Italian leather simplicity. Destree's pink leather crossbody has a sculptural gold clasp, and BY FAR's Cush in black suede is a soft little crescent.

 

None of them are loud, but every one has an idea. I would wear the Destree with a gray sweater and jeans, where the pink can do all the work, and the Cush with a black coat.

 

A tip: suede crossbodies rub against coats, so give them a quick brush after a long day.

 

What I would skip: matching your bag to your shoes. A pink bag looks better with brown boots than with pink anything.

Coach, Tory Burch and Loeffler Randall make strong small crossbodies, and this last group is where they live. Coach's New York Elora comes in black calf leather and in dark chocolate suede, both with a short top handle and a long strap. Tory Burch's Zip Top is the simple black one, and Loeffler Randall has two, the Tmoro in split suede and the Desi in natural straw with a lock.

 

Marc Jacobs' Snapshot is the camera bag everyone knows, and Rebecca Minkoff's Megan is the smooth black leather one. For summer there is raffia and woven leather: Staud's Rowey, Hat Attack's Daily Crossbody, Bembien's Carmen, Ulla Johnson's Adria with its fringed edge and Clare V.'s Petit Moyen in a woven checker.

 

I check that a phone, keys and a card holder fit before I fall for any shape.

 

What I would skip: a raffia crossbody in the rain. Keep the straw ones for summer weekends and let the leather do the commuting.

There are a lot of bags on this page, and I would not buy all of them. If you love the Alo look, start with a Mini Balance or a Mini Voyage, because they are the most versatile shapes in the line. If you want something that works with everything you already own, the Ulla Johnson Charlotte or the Coach Elora will get worn more.

 

Whatever you choose, buy the one you can picture using this week. A crossbody earns its place on the days you reach for it without thinking. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Gucci Crossbody Bag for Women, From Mini Marmonts to Small Lunettas and Crossbody Bags, Totes and Wristlets.