WHEN DID WE STOP BUYING THINGS WE LOVE?
An Autumn Reflection on Fashion, Value and Finding Your Own Style THE ARCHIVE JOURNAL | A FOUNDER’S PERSPECTIVESunday, 25 October
An Autumn Reflection on Fashion, Value and Finding Your Own Style THE ARCHIVE JOURNAL | A FOUNDER’S PERSPECTIVESunday, 25 October
ÉLAN ARCHIVE | SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER 2026 As billions disappear from the valuations of the world’s biggest luxury companies, something
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Why the greatest handbags are recognisable without a logo, and what their silhouettes tell us about fashion, craftsmanship and the way we live.
The Archive Journal | Élan Archive | 11 October 2026
I want you to imagine something.
You’re walking down Bond Street and somebody passes you carrying a beautiful handbag. You catch a glimpse of it. No obvious branding, no oversized monogram, no recognisable hardware.
And yet, you know exactly what it is.
A Birkin. A Lady Dior. Perhaps a Fendi Baguette or a Loewe Puzzle. You haven’t seen the logo, you haven’t even seen the bag particularly clearly. You’ve recognised its shape, and that, for me, is where exceptional design begins.
We spend an extraordinary amount of time discussing logos, materials, hardware and the latest colours. But the silhouette is arguably the most important design decision a handbag designer makes.
It’s the foundation upon which everything else is built. A logo tells you who made something, but a silhouette tells you who designed it.
And there’s a rather wonderful difference between the two.
Let’s start with Hermès.
The Birkin is arguably one of the most recognisable handbags in the world, but strip away the branding and you’re left with something remarkably functional.
A spacious, predominantly rectangular body, two rolled handles, a distinctive flap and belted closure. Its design story is famously rooted in practicality.
In 1984, Jane Birkin found herself seated beside Jean-Louis Dumas, then chairman of Hermès, on a flight. Their conversation about her difficulty finding a suitable everyday bag inspired the design that would become the Birkin.
What I find fascinating is that the bag wasn’t conceived simply as an object of status, it was conceived to solve a problem. And its enduring silhouette reflects that original purpose.
Now compare it with the Lady Dior.
Almost the complete opposite in architectural language. Where the Birkin is generous and utilitarian, the Lady Dior is controlled, symmetrical and beautifully structured. Its upright body, rounded handles and geometric Cannage quilting give it an almost architectural precision.
Introduced in the mid-1990s and famously associated with Diana, Princess of Wales, the Lady Dior is a fascinating example of a design becoming inseparable from a particular moment in cultural history.
Two handbags, two entirely different design philosophies but both instantly recognisable. Neither needs a logo to announce its arrival.
That’s what I call design confidence.
Now, let’s talk about one of my favourite examples of designers challenging what a handbag should look like.
The Dior Saddle. When John Galliano introduced the Saddle Bag in 1999, it was unlike almost anything else, asymmetrical, curved and in honesty, almost deliberately awkward but absolutely fabulous.
Its distinctive profile took inspiration from the shape of a saddle, creating a handbag that was as much a fashion statement as a functional accessory. It wasn’t trying to be timeless in the traditional sense, it was trying to be interesting.
And that’s an important distinction.
Because some of the most influential designs in fashion history have succeeded precisely because they rejected established conventions.
Think about the Loewe Puzzle.
Its geometric panels aren’t simply decorative. They form part of the construction that gives the bag its unusual shape and flexibility.
Or the Fendi Baguette.
Created by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1997, its elongated, compact silhouette was designed to sit beneath the arm. A deceptively simple idea that helped define an entire era of handbag fashion.
What connects these designs isn’t their appearance, it’s their individuality. They established a visual identity so strong that their shape became their signature.
And in a market saturated with branding, individuality is an increasingly valuable luxury.
Here’s where things become particularly interesting. Because the history of handbag design is also a history of changing attitudes towards structure.
There are periods when fashion embraces precision. Rigid bodies, sharp corners and symmetry, bags that stand proudly upright when placed on a table.
Then there are periods when everything softens.
Supple leather. Relaxed proportions. Oversized bodies. Bags designed to move with the person carrying them.
We’re seeing a fascinating continuation of that conversation today.
For years, the luxury market was fascinated by smaller and smaller handbags. Micro bags became fashion statements. Miniatures dominated social media, and practicality occasionally became something of an afterthought. Beautiful? Absolutely.
But, Useful?
Well, darling, that depended on whether you needed to carry anything more substantial than a lipstick.
But the growing interest in larger, softer and more relaxed bags suggests something important about the direction fashion is taking. People increasingly want luxury that works with their lives.
They want room for their belongings, they want beautiful leather that develops character, they want a handbag that feels effortless rather than excessively precious.
And I find that rather refreshing.
There’s something else I want to challenge. The assumption that a handbag must retain its original, immaculate shape to remain beautiful, because some bags are designed to evolve.
Take a beautiful, supple leather tote. When new, it may stand relatively upright, over time, the leather relaxes, the folds deepen and the silhouette becomes softer. That doesn’t automatically mean the bag has deteriorated, in certain designs, it’s part of the appeal.
A beautifully worn leather bag can develop a character that simply cannot be replicated by something fresh from the boutique.
Of course, there’s an important distinction between natural relaxation and structural damage. Collapsed corners, distorted handles and compromised construction can affect both appearance and value, but a gentle slouch in a bag designed for softness?
I rather love it. It’s why understanding the original design intention matters so much.
Not every crease is a flaw. Not every perfectly rigid bag is beautifully made.
And not every bag should look as though it’s spent its life sitting on a shelf.
Some were designed to live.
Now we come to the part that really excites me as a buyer, collector and founder of Élan Archive. The relationship between silhouette and the preloved market, because fashion has a rather wonderful habit of returning to its own history.
Designers revisit proportions, reinterpret established shapes and discover fresh relevance in pieces that might have seemed unfashionable only a few seasons earlier.
We’ve watched renewed interest in the Chloé Paddington, the Fendi Spy and Balenciaga’s Le City.
And what connects these bags?
Their shapes are unmistakable. The Paddington has its distinctive rounded body and oversized padlock. The Spy has its generous, curved silhouette and elaborate detailing and the City combines a relaxed, almost casual body with distinctive handles, straps and hardware.
These aren’t anonymous handbags, they’re designs with personalities. And when fashion begins embracing those proportions again, the archive suddenly becomes very interesting indeed.
But here’s where I would exercise some caution.
A recognisable silhouette doesn’t automatically make a handbag a good investment.
Condition, provenance, originality, demand and purchase price all matter. A bag becoming fashionable again doesn’t mean every example will suddenly command extraordinary resale prices. In fact, chasing a trend after the market has already recognised it can be an expensive exercise.
My preference? Find exceptional examples of important designs before everyone else remembers how fabulous they are.
That’s where knowledge becomes an advantage.
If you’re considering buying a luxury handbag, whether new or preloved, I would encourage you to look beyond the brand name. Ask yourself a few questions.
Does the silhouette suit the way you live?
A beautiful structured top-handle bag might look extraordinary in photographs, but if you spend your day needing both hands free, perhaps a softer shoulder bag or crossbody would serve you better.
Will the proportions work for you?
A bag can be beautiful in isolation and entirely wrong when carried but width, depth, handle drop and the position of the bag against the body all affect how it looks.
How will the shape age?
Consider the leather, the construction and the way the bag is intended to be used. A structured design may require greater care to preserve its architectural lines. A softer bag may develop an entirely different character over time.
And finally, would you still love it without the logo?
For me, that’s perhaps the most revealing question of all. Because when you’re genuinely drawn to a design, rather than simply its status, you’re far more likely to appreciate it long after the initial excitement of the purchase has faded.
I often talk about the relationship between craftsmanship, design and value. And while those subjects are deeply connected, I think there’s another ingredient that makes a handbag genuinely special, conviction.
The greatest designers don’t simply create something they believe will sell, they create something with a recognisable point of view.
Sometimes that results in a bag that becomes an immediate commercial success, sometimes it creates something unconventional, divisive or even misunderstood.
But I would much rather see a designer take a risk with proportion, construction or silhouette than produce another perfectly pleasant handbag that looks remarkably similar to everything else. Because fashion needs personality, it needs experimentation, and occasionally, it needs something a little outrageous.
That’s why I admire designers who establish a visual language that is unmistakably their own.
It’s also why I find the relationship between contemporary collections and archival designs so fascinating. What was once considered radical can become a classic, what was once dismissed as impractical can become highly desirable. And what seemed hopelessly unfashionable a decade ago can suddenly look extraordinarily contemporary.
The shape hasn’t necessarily changed. Our perspective has.
I want to leave you with a thought.
Imagine placing ten handbags on a table and removing every visible brand identifier.
Which would you recognise? Which would you pick up? Which would you still want to own?
Because I suspect the answers would tell you far more about your personal relationship with fashion than any list of this season’s most desirable handbags.
For me, the most compelling luxury pieces are those that communicate something before you even know who made them. Through proportion, through construction, through silhouette and most importantly through the confidence of their design.
A great handbag doesn’t need to shout its identity.
Its shape has already told you the story, And that is the language of great design.
Keep the passion, enjoy the journey.
Tony | The Designer Bag Guy
Founder, Élan Archive
At Élan Archive, every handbag is selected with an appreciation for its design, craftsmanship, history and individuality.
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Because understanding what makes a handbag special is every bit as enjoyable as owning one.