All my life, I’ve been a devotee to leather handbags. Only straying to fabric bags for the good old diaper bag or beach bag and perhaps a utilitarian tote. I turned up my nose at canvas, satin, nylon and other non-leather bags. Oh, yes! I was a snob about Prada nylon too! I now have to apologize, admit I was small-minded and must re-frame my opinions! There are so many great new (and durable) fabrics in handbags that deserve a second look. Designers that were entrenched in leather now embrace nylon and other materials. It could be that they were simply looking for less expensive alternatives than leather or even more eco-friendly materials, but I believe they’d made some great design choices as well!
Yves Saint Laurent Muse
Yes, the classic Muse bag is now available in nylon! Same great shape and style for $1195. The leather version is $1550. Not a significant different, but it looks great just the same! Perhaps you can pick up a great pair of sandals for the difference?
Shop It: YSL Boutique @ Saks!
Tod’s G-Bag New Bauletto Easy Hobo
Known for classic durable and sometimes heavy leathers – mine is well-loved for over 6 years now, Tod’s has really focused on nylon and even pvc coated canvas for the last several seasons. The nylon has a beautiful satin feel and I like the styling with the zipper details. $825 . In fact, they seem a little more fashion forward than most of their leather cousins. A comparable leather style would be more than $1500.
Shop It: Tod’s Boutique @ Saks!
Marc Jacobs Rubik Nylon Stam Satchel
We love the classic and fashion forward stam bag for $1350 and up. Now you can purchase in a nylon version for $995! I really like the contrast between the nylon and the leather. Plus the quilting looks beautiful!
Shop It: MJ Boutique @ Saks!
Prada Nylon & Saffiano Leather Messenger
When I think of nylon, I first think of Prada. I love how they married it with leather accents in this beautiful cross body and used their gold lettered logo rather than the inverted pyramid that is so common on fakes. Timeless yet stylish for $650.
Shop It: Prada Boutique @ Saks!
Fendi Nylon Logo Shoulder Bag
Known for their signature logo cotton fabric, Fendi has instead chosen a nylon with tiny logo print. I really like this version and it’s $675 as opposed to $840 – $1500 for cotton or leather.
Shop It: Fendi Boutique @ Saks!
Tory Burch Quilted Cire Hailey Tote
The only tote that I’ve included in this group simply because it looks so sharp, polished and outright gorgeous. It is not a casual beach bag! But,perhaps in the cabana at an exclusive resort? I can even see Samantha showing up with this on her arm as she calls for the cabana boy to bring her…..a cosmo! For $195, you really get a lot of showy style!
Shop It: TB Boutique @ Saks!
The Chat: nylon bags!