Handbags & Purses

For as long as there has been a need to carry things, there have been bags to facilitate carrying. But bags have moved beyond pure utility and into highly sought-after fashion. Designer brand bags in particular have upped the ante with finely crafted handbags and purses.

Whether at retail or auction, shoppers will find a dizzying array of available purses and handbags. Popular designer carryalls found at auction provide quality and style at reasonable prices, including Coach bags, Tory Burch bags, and Kate Spade bags. Then there are higher-end options such as Marc Jacobs handbags, created by the namesake designer who honed his skills at Louis Vuitton. For those in the market for something other than the usual suspects, new and up-and-coming designers may fit the bill.

In their countless incarnations, designer bags continue to have lofty status as accessories at the epicenter of the luxury fashion world. Rare, limited edition, and vintage handbags are often competitively bid on when they come up for auction.

Quick Facts

• The most expensive designer handbag ever sold at auction was a fuchsia-colored crocodile skin Hermès Birkin bag with diamond-studded gold hardware. It sold at Christie’s in Hong Kong in June 2015 for a record $221,846
• In October 2015, an Italian-made Marc Jacobs Victoria style blue calfskin leather hobo shoulder bag with multi-tiered fringe sold on eBay for $1,125
• At a 2012 Heritage auction, a rare Louis Vuitton Art Deco-style top-handle bag in navy blue Lucite sold for $325