The Gucci Bag Edit: The Newest Arrivals, Icons & Emerging Classics

Gucci bags began as travel goods. Guccio Gucci was born in Florence in 1881, worked as a porter at The Savoy hotel in London from 1897, and in 1921 opened his first boutique on Via della Vigna Nuova in Florence, selling luggage and leather goods, according to the house's own history.

 

Three handbags carry that story today. The Bamboo bag dates to the years after the Second World War, when a leather shortage led the house to import bamboo from Japan for handles. The Horsebit takes its name from the metal bit Gucci introduced on a loafer in 1953, the year the first New York store opened, and the Horsebit 1955 bag refers to the year that hardware appeared on a handbag. The Jackie, introduced in 1961, is said to have been renamed after Jacqueline Kennedy was photographed carrying it.

 

The current versions are the ones to shop. The Bamboo Vendetta leather shoulder bag, the Bamboo Vendetta leather shoulder bag and the Bamboo leather shoulder bag are the three Bamboo bags, the Horsebit Duomo leather shoulder bag, the Horsebit Ristretto embellished leather shoulder bag and the Ristretto embellished leather shoulder bag are the Horsebit shapes in black, red and white, and the Jackie 1961 Small velvet shoulder bag is the Jackie in black velvet with the GG pattern. The Starlet Medium leather shoulder bag is the newer shape, with a chain laid across black leather.

 

For the full heritage story, read the Gucci icons edit.

The GG Marmont is Gucci's quilted shoulder bag with the Double G on the flap, introduced in 2016, and the Jetset is its current form. I would start with the suede versions, the Jetset GG Marmont Medium suede shoulder bag, the Jetset GG Marmont suede shoulder bag and the GG Marmont Jetset suede shoulder bag, which come in sand and chocolate brown.

 

The Jetset GG Marmont web-trimmed quilted leather shoulder bag, the Jetset GG Marmont suede-trimmed leather shoulder bag, the Jetset GG Marmont quilted leather crossbody bag and the Jetset GG Marmont web-trimmed quilted leather crossbody bag show the quilted leather, three with the green and red stripe, and the GG Marmont Small leather shoulder bag is the white leather one. If you want one bag to wear across the body, the Jetset GG Marmont is the easiest to carry.

The Gucci totes to know are the Giglio and the Ophidia, both built to carry a laptop and a coat. The Giglio web-trimmed suede tote is the suede version with a stripe, and the Giglio Large GG canvas tote bag, the Giglio leather-trimmed canvas-jacquard tote and the Giglio GG Canvas Large tote bag are the Giglio in GG canvas.

 

The Ophidia GG Canvas Medium tote bag and the Ophidia Small tote bag are the Ophidia totes, a more structured shape with leather trim, and the Infinity Large GG canvas shoulder bag and the Brera logo-jacquard leather-trimmed canvas shoulder bag are the larger shoulder bags in monogram canvas. Choose the Giglio for a slouchy shape and the Ophidia for something firmer.

 

For the clothes to carry them with, see the Gucci wardrobe edit.

The Gucci bags I would choose for evenings are the small chain-strap shapes and the structured top handles. The Aperitivo crystal-embellished canvas-jacquard shoulder bag and the Aperitivo satin shoulder bag are the two Aperitivo bags, one in crystal-embellished canvas and one in black satin.

 

The Paparazzo GG canvas Medium top-handle bag is a top-handle bag in GG canvas with the Web stripe, the Essence GG canvas top-handle bag is the compact boston shape, and the Starlet Medium GG canvas shoulder bag is the Starlet in canvas. The Ophidia Small camera bag is a camera bag, the GG Marmont Mini leather crossbody bag is a mini quilted crossbody, and the Small GG canvas top-handle bag is a soft pouch with a loop handle.

 

A pair of shoes and a belt to go with them are in the Gucci shoe edit and the Gucci accessories edit.

Start with how you carry a bag, then pick the type. The Jackie suits a soft shoulder bag, Horsebit and GG Marmont suit a chain-strap bag, Bamboo suits a handle, and a tote suits a workday.

 

Then choose the material for the season: suede and velvet for fall, leather all year, canvas for travel. Try the size on your shoulder if you can, because the small and mini versions sit very differently from the medium.