Vintage Designer Bags Under $2,000

Two flat leather Baguettes and a run of Zucchino Mamas open this edit, and each bag is priced under $2,000. The Baguette launched in 1997 and the Mama was its roomier sibling, so the pair covers the two ways Fendi wanted you to carry a shoulder bag.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Fendi Yellow Leather Flat Baguette Mini, the Fendi Green Leather Flat Baguette Bag Mini and the Fendi Beige Zucchino Canvas Mama.

 

Pink, navy and beige Mamas add a quieter note next to the bright mini Baguettes. For more on the shape, see The Great Fashion Revival.

Louis Vuitton has handed its canvas to artists and designers for decades, and this grid collects the bags priced under $2,000. The Murakami Judy comes from the Monogram Multicolore collection introduced in 2003, and the patchwork Conte de Fées Musette is from the Spring 2002 fairy tale collection by Marc Jacobs and Julie Verhoeven.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton White Monogram Multicolore Judy MM, the Isaac Mizrahi x Louis Vuitton Clear Vinyl Sac Weekender and the Louis Vuitton Purple Monogram Sequin Pochette Rococo.

 

The Isaac Mizrahi weekender and the sequin Rococo pochette show how far the house was willing to go. For a longer look, The Louis Vuitton Collector's Club is the place to start.

Gucci's bamboo hobos, Abbey shoulder bags and Boston bags are the house's canvas era in its most wearable form, and this grid keeps every one under $2,000. The bamboo handle traces back to a design Gucci first used in 1947.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Gucci Brown Guccissima Bamboo Bar Tote, the Gucci Yellow Original GG Canvas Diana Bamboo Hobo Large and the Gucci Pink Guccissima Joy Boston Handbag.

 

The orange Abbey and the yellow Diana Bamboo Hobo are the loudest here, while the red and pink Bostons are easier to wear every day. For the full story of the house, see The Gucci Years.

This last grid mixes four houses: Dior Street Chic from John Galliano's mid-aughts, the Céline Luggage that Phoebe Philo relaunched in 2010, Judith Leiber crystal minaudières and Chanel, including an early 2000s chocolate bar bag. Each bag is under $2,000.

 

Among the eight in this grid, I would look first at the Christian Dior Black Trotter Canvas Street Chic Shoulder Bag, the Céline Grey Drummed Calfskin Luggage Micro and the Chanel Silver Nylon 31 Rue Cambon Bowler.

 

The Luggage Micro and Nano are small enough to wear across the body, and the Leiber minaudières are made for evenings. For more Dior, The Art of Vintage Dior goes deeper.

Under $2,000 is where the interesting shapes start to appear. You can choose a Baguette, an artist bag or a Chanel from an earlier collection, and the price still stays under that line.

 

Every bag here is priced above $1,000 and under $2,000. I would pick one statement piece and build the outfit quietly around it, then read the listing for condition details, since these bags are pre-owned and each one has lived a little.