Demellier Marrakesh, briefly: it is a house signature that has been redrawn several times, and most of what people recognise is the proportion rather than the mark itself. Most house signatures were practical marks before they were status ones. Recognition is built by repetition over decades, which is why an imitation of the mark never carries the same weight. Unlined canvas is lighter but shows every mark; treat it before first use. The groups below run from the decision that matters most to the ones you make afterwards.

What decides this is capacity, closure and strap drop. Everything else is preference. Two from the first group show the range: Few Moda's Jane Handmade Bag at $73, and Behno's INA BAG LARGE PEBBLE BONE at $595. The first is the easy entry point; the second is where the money goes. Leather darkens where your hand sits, which is not damage; it is the bag settling. A strap drop under 22cm will not clear a winter coat. A higher price mostly buys materials and finishing, and occasionally it buys nothing at all.

Match the bag to the day, not the outfit. One structured bag does more work than three soft ones. From the second group, jwpei.com's Diana Ring Flap Saddle Bag - Brown ($99) is the one that earns its place, because it works in more than one context without being restyled. The third group is smaller and deliberately narrower, bags, for the decisions you make after the main one. None of this needs the whole group. One piece from each is usually enough.

There are 20 bags here from 12 brands, $26 to $595, all in stock when this was written. We would not buy all of them, and neither should you. Akira's DRESS ME UP PURSE at $26 is the low-risk way in, and Behno's INA BAG LARGE PEBBLE BONE at $595 only makes sense if this is a category you already use constantly. Read as a set, they get you close to Demellier Marrakesh without any single purchase being compulsory. Nothing here is included because it is famous, and price is not used as a proxy for quality anywhere on this page. If you take one thing away: the piece you reach for on a rushed morning is the one that was worth the money.