Hero Bags

By Nick Remsen

Model Ajahnae Baker wears a Silvia Tcherassi dress and Sofia bag. Photo by Michael Setton; styling by Natalia Campos.

Early autumn’s incoming vibes are set to bring a slightly subtler palette than summer’s pop, along with richer textures. The clock is ticking, and it’s time to update your handbag rotation.

Transitional bags this season lean toward a quiet confidence: silhouettes that hold their own, with an iconic underline. Balenciaga’s reissued Le City, for example, channels early 2000’s nostalgia but feels right for the moment, too. Bottega Veneta’s Andiamo, its name meaning “let’s go” in Italian, pairs the house’s belove intrecciato leather with a sense of pragmatism that’ll carry you from a morning boat ride to the boardroom to a beach-side cocktail. And Loewe’s Puzzle bag gets a crafty upgrade–designer Jonathan Anderson’s biggest hit for the label is still going strong, despite Anderson’s departure to join Dior.

These bags aren’t about playing into the leaves changing and the temperatures dropping, so to speak; they’re about signaling a subtle shift from summer’s sun-bleached exuberance to autumn’s more nuanced elegance.

Let’s go.