The Classic Handbags

Despite the outrageous prices of these bags, consider their styles whether replicas or originals as must have classics for every woman's closet of handbags. Bags like these will NEVER lose their style and only look better as they age.

The Gaucho By: Dior (right)
Popularised by celebrities like Paris Hilton, the Gaucho is the bag on every fashion wannabee's wish list.
Why this style is so popular we cannot fathom, but promo girls and Russian pop stars seem to be falling over themselves to part with a grand for it.

The Birken By: Hermes (left)
The No 1 'it bag' of all time, this is the holy grail of all handbags. Its iconic status means that the waiting list for this bag is currently so long that it has been closed. So no need to beat yourself up about the fact that you can't afford one because you couldn't get one anyway. If you are ever lucky enough to become a member of the Birkin club, you'll be safe in the knowledge that this bag will never date and will still look cool in 40 years' time when you pass it on to your granddaughter.


The Muse By: YSL (left)
Even though it's been around for a couple of seasons now, the YSL Muse is THE bag for winter 06.
Since its appearance last year on the arms of a multitude of celebrities, the initial buzz has died down, but we predict this is the bag the real fashionistas will be sporting this season.

The Classic By: Chanel (right)
If you like to think of yourself as a bit of a bag expert, then you really need to know about this bag. To celebrate its 60th birthday, Chanel re introduced the 2.55 last year with a special stamp inside. This year it's available as the 'Classic' (without the stamp) and will set you back £860. But you can tell your bank manager that this bag is collectible and an investment for your future. In fact, this bag is your pension, so you'd be crazy not to buy it.


The Marc Jacob's Stam (left)
One of the biggest sellers this year, the quilted leather Stam comes in grey and patent for winter. It combines high fashion status with a down-town street sensibility in a way that only Marc Jacobs can do. But, like everything else by 'grunge god' Jacobs, we predict that in less than a decade you'll be able to smugly resurrect this future heirloom as 'vintage Jacobs'.

The Paddington By: Chloe (right)
One of the world's most (badly) copied bags, we are amazed that the Paddington is still one of the biggest sellers in the land. Perhaps it's because of its reasonable price tag. When many Chloé bags are priced at around £1700, this one seems like a steal. In fact it's so cheap you may even throw caution to the wind and yell 'I'll take two!' Unfortunately, demand is still so high that on net-a-porter, sales are restricted to one per customer.

Source: Handbag.com