Black Bags: Editors' Picks

In February 1955 Gabrielle Chanel put a chain strap on a quilted bag so she could stop carrying it in her hand, and named it after the month it was born. More than seventy years later, the reason most of us reach for a black bag is just as practical. It goes with the navy coat and the brown boots, it hides the coffee ring, and nobody notices that you carried it four days running.

 

The catch is that black is not one color in leather. Pebbled calf reads soft and matte, crackle patent throws light, suede goes almost velvet, and croc-effect makes even a small bag look dressed. So I sorted these by how you carry them rather than by name, and started with the shape that does most of the work: the bag on your shoulder.

 

Khaite's Small Joan Hobo is the one I keep coming back to. Catherine Holstein founded the label in New York in 2016, and the Joan has the same restraint as her knitwear, a zip-top crescent in black calfskin with nothing extra on it. Mansur Gavriel's Mini Candy Bag sits close to the body and fits a phone, cards and keys, which is all a weekend needs. Isabel Marant's Oskan Hobo has a ring of studs that gives a plain black coat something to talk about.

 

A test before you buy any shoulder bag: put it on over your heaviest coat. If the strap will not clear the shoulder seam, it will live in your hand all winter.

 

What I would skip: a hobo with no zip if you ride the subway. Pretty, and an open invitation.

Mansur Gavriel launched in 2012 with just two shapes, a bucket and a tote, and by New York Fashion Week in September 2013 their black bucket lined in red was the bag fashion editors were carrying. The Everyday Cabas is its grown-up descendant: black leather, an open top, and handles long enough for the shoulder. The Everyday Zip Tote next to it is what I would give anyone who commutes, because the zip lets a laptop and a lunch share a bag without the whole train seeing either.

 

For more structure, look at the two DeMellier bags. Mireia Llusia-Lindh, a former management consultant, built the London label and gave it the DeMellier name in 2017, and you can tell: the Midi New York and the Midi Hudson are sensible about pockets and proportion in a way trend bags rarely are. The New York comes in black croc-effect, which hides scuffs better than smooth leather. Khaite's Small Lotus Tote is the softer option, shaped like a knotted scarf, with a rounded base so it stands up on a desk.

 

St. Agni's Woven Bateau Tote and Cult Gaia's Osa Tote cover the woven and slouchy end, and Liffner's Belted Bucket Bag Mini in black raffia is the summer bag that turns out to work in October, because it is black.

 

My test for a work tote: stand it on the floor, empty. If it slumps, it will slump under your desk too, and you will spend the year fishing for your keys.

 

What I would skip: an unlined suede tote if you carry pens. Ink on raw suede does not come out.

Jasmin Larian started Cult Gaia in 2011 with flower crowns, and two years later made the Ark bag that seemed to be on every arm by 2016. Her black bags now are quieter. The Calla keeps a sculpted gold handle, and the Fiore is a convertible crossbody on a gold chain, which is exactly what you want at a wedding where you plan to dance.

 

Khaite's Lori Baguette in black crackle patent is the bag for a black dress; the surface catches light so the outfit does not go flat in photos. Mansur Gavriel's Pina Evening Bag has a gold frame handle, and ALDO's Evening Bow Bag is the one I would take to a party where I might leave it on a chair.

 

For nights when you need both hands, DeMellier's Vancouver is a neat crossbody with a gold clasp, and St. Agni's Large Crossbody Bag is soft enough to wear across the body over a coat. St. Agni came out of Byron Bay in 2014, when Lara and Matt Fells launched with three bags, and the pieces still have that unfussy coastal ease. Liffner's Belted Clutch in black croc rounds it out, slim enough to tuck under the arm.

 

A small test for any evening bag: does your phone fit flat. If it has to go in sideways, the clasp will strain all night.

 

What I would skip: a tiny clutch with no strap for a standing event. You will hold it for four hours.

If I could buy only one bag from this edit, it would be a black leather shoulder bag with a zip, because it covers the office, dinner and the airport without asking anything of the rest of the outfit. Khaite's Small Joan Hobo or Mansur Gavriel's Mini Gnocchi Bag would be my pick, depending on whether you want structure or slouch. Guidi's Small Shoulder Leather Bag, unlined and made in Italy, is the one for people who like a bag to look better in year five than on day one.

 

After that, add the opposite of what you have. If your first bag is soft, make the second structured, like DeMellier's Midi New York. If it is big, make the second small enough for evening. Two black bags that disagree with each other will cover more of your life than five that look alike.

 

Care is simple. Stuff leather bags with tissue when you store them, keep suede out of the rain for the first few weeks, and wipe patent with a soft dry cloth. Black hides most things, but not dust in the creases.

 

St. Agni's Petit Origami Bag and Connolo Shoulder Bag are good places to look if you want a softer, smaller shape, and Khaite's Mini Olivia Hobo in black suede is the one I would wear on a Saturday with jeans and a grey sweater. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Black Leather Bags and Woven Leather Bags.