Women
Petite Malle to Neverfull: 13 most popular Louis Vuitton bags to invest in
Sep
Louis Vuitton bags are not just a style or fashion statement that sets the wearer apart from the crowd. Now one of the most popular bag brands in the industry, the iconic carriers are more than just bags; they’re also synonymous with luxury fashion heritage.
In 1837, when a 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in the fashion capital of Paris, he started as an apprentice at Monsieur Maréchal, making hard and sturdy luggage and trunks that could be roughly handled while mounting on horse-drawn carriages. Little did he know that these were the founding steps of what would become one of the global brands synonymous with high-end designer bags, luggage, vanity cases, jackets and clothes. In 1854, Louis Vuitton, a skilled craftsman and fashion designer, went on to establish this eponymous label and the rest is history.
Louis Vuitton bags have been a staple among globally renowned celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O, Venus Williams, Deepika Padukone, Kendall Jenner and Laura Harrier who have added to the accessories’ cult status.
The iconic French fashion house is constantly on the lookout to reinvent its classic styles and designs. With new collections and distinguishing elements, there are only a few brands in the history of fashion that have tastefully revamped classic handbags like Louis Vuitton.
Owing to its brilliant craftsmanship, it becomes difficult to choose a few from the most popular Louis Vuitton bags. From the Keepall and Speedy to Twist and Capucines, these bags have transcended time and set fashion standards high. If you don’t know where to begin, let this guide of the most popular Louis Vuitton bags be your guide.
Louis Vuitton Neverfull
Launched in 2007, the Louis Vuitton Neverfull is one of the most popular and iconic LV bags, being both stylish and practical. Staying true to its name, this LV bag is a spacious tote, and can fit all your work essentials and daily necessities, making it perfect for those on the go.
One of the best Louis Vuitton handbags ever designed, the Neverfull is designed with Damier Ebene canvas and natural cowhide trim. Available in many colours and printed with the house’s iconic flower motif, the premium tote is roomy but not bulky. It comes with side laces that can be drawn for a sleek look or left loose if you are pairing it with casual wear. They are available in three sizes: MM, PM and GM, and are reversible.
The Louis Vuitton Neverfull also comes with a removable pouch, which can be separately used as a purse. With a more modern and futuristic look, this LV bag is available in midnight fuchsia colour, while other shades include blue and floral prints from the LV Garden capsule. Those looking for a more sober and light colour palette can opt for the white, beige or kaki shades along with the traditional monogram printed cerise and brown colours.
A more playful mind can also opt for the checkerboard canvas or the monogram-printed tote, which has several Greco-Roman coin motifs. The latter is a part of the LV x Fornasetti capsule collection created for the Fall-Winter 2021 season. Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon and Beyoncé have seen carrying this bag.
Louis Vuitton Speedy
Another popular LV handbag is the Louis Vuitton Speedy. The versatile bag comes with an adjustable shoulder strap and can be carried as a shoulder or a crossbody bag.
Introduced in 1930, the Louis Vuitton Speedy was the house’s response to the rapid advancement in transportation and industrialisation of the era. Lightweight and compact, this LV bag is designed to accommodate all your travel essentials.
Made of either Louis Vuitton’s Damier Ebene canvas or exotic leather, it has double zip compartments and super soft, rolled leather handles. This makes it one of the best Louis Vuitton bags that is worth the investment.
Originally called the Express, it was one of the quintessential luxury handbags that are perfect for all-day outing. Celebrities like the late Audrey Hepburn and Sarah Jessica Parker often sported this bag and helped the Louis Vuitton Speedy catapult into its current popularity.
This popular Louis Vuitton bag is available in sizes Nano, Speedy 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 and in several colours and designs. Most Speedy bags have two variations — one with the strap is called bandoulière, and the other goes without it.
Louis Vuitton Keepall
The 1930s saw the changing travel habits with availing flights becoming an emerging popular trend. Gone were the days of carrying heavy trunks and luggage. Now, the new mantra was to travel light, smart and elegant.
This popular Louis Vuitton bag arrived at such a juncture and revolutionised the way one would carry all their essentials. Although the Louis Vuitton Keepall may not be a handbag per se, it is in line with the label’s rich heritage of luggage making.
A larger version of the LV Speedy, the Louis Vuitton Keepall lives up to its name and is spacious enough to accommodate all your travel necessities. Its rectangular shape allows extra room to fit in all your clothes and toiletries that you would need for your holiday.
This versatile bag is available in sizes of XS, 45, 50, 55 and 60 and a wide range of colours and prints. While it is available in the house’s monogram print, the brand’s former artistic director Virgil Abloh had ushered in glow-in-the-dark shades, neon colours, chessboard prints and other abstract travel motifs. While the XS and 45 sizes are best suited as gym bags and smaller carry-ons for everyday essentials, the larger duffle bags are best weekend travel companions. It has been spotted with celebrities like Naomie Campbell, Hugh Jackman and Kanye West.
Finished with a luggage tag and the iconic Louis Vuitton padlock, these crossbody bags are made of various leathers and canvas and are flag bearers of Louis Vuitton’s iconic style.
Louis Vuitton Capucines
Named after the Maison’s first store in Rue des Capucines in Paris, this is one of the most popular Louis Vuitton handbags that deserves all the attention. Launched in Fall 2013, it is an enigmatic and bold feminine symbol. No wonder this iconic bag has been a choice of accessory for divas like Jessica Chastain and Reese Witherspoon.
Crafted to perfection by the luxury house’s most skilled and experienced craftsmen, this Louis Vuitton bag reflects LV’s dedication to excellence and creative genius. The bag is assembled in 250 steps and is the perfect silhouette to portray the different seasons.
The Louis Vuitton Capucines bears an iconic element of the brand that pays homage to its luggage-making history — the rivets on the handle rings are reminiscent of the old LV trunks. While a metallic LV logo is inserted on the edge, the LV flower motif is inserted by hand in the petal-shaped flap.
This beloved Louis Vuitton bag is made of natural canvas, full-grain Taurillon leather, crocodilian leather and soft lambskin. It is available in sizes BB, Mini and MM. The Capucines bag has a detachable crossbody strap and leather handles for the perfectly structured look. Over the years, several variations, colours and looks of this designer bag have been introduced, which signifies Louis Vuitton’s chase for brilliance and master artistry.
Louis Vuitton Alma
Named after the famous Alma Bridge in Paris, the Louis Vuitton Alma was designed by the founder’s grandson Gaston-Louis Vuitton in 1930. Today, it is popularly sported by celebrities like Beyoncé and Kourtney Kardashian.
Known for its round dome-like structure and rolled leather handles, the luxury brand’s padlock, a distinguished luggage tag, well-built leather bottom and rivets at the four corners for added durability are some of the features of the Louis Vuitton Alma that standout.
Another most popular Louis Vuitton bag, it has many fabric variations, including the brand’s signature epi leather, calfskin leather, Vernis coated leather, crocodile leather and the classic monogram printed canvas.
The bag comes in sizes of BB, PM and MM and is available in many patterns and colours. The Louis Vuitton Alma BB also has a detachable adjustable strap, which allows it to be worn as a crossbody or a shoulder bag.
Louis Vuitton Dauphine
Symbolising the elegant, sophisticated and free-spirited modern woman, this is one of the most popular Louis Vuitton bags designed by Nicolas Ghesquière many a season back. Today, it continues to be among the best LV bags and has garnered the attention of many global celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Emma Stone and Zhou Dongyu.
Reflecting the Maison’s quest for creativity and reinventing traditions to suit the modern lifestyle, the LV Dauphine has seen an array of reinterpretations since its debut while staying true to Louis Vuitton’s heritage.
Created in a combination of the monogram and reverse monogram canvas, the Dauphine is also available in a variety of other materials like epi leather, calfskin and cowhide leather and denim. Featuring the LV Circle logo, the bag also has a removable and adjustable leather strap as well as a chain strap. It can also be easily converted into a classic Louis Vuitton purse, too.
Besides the MM and PM sizes, the designer bag is available in mini and compact wallet sizes and variants like Dauphine East West, Dauphine Hobo and the Hobo PM. The Louis Vuitton mini Dauphine is also available in fluo pink and red shades.
Louis Vuitton Petite Malle
Literally translating into ‘little trunk,’ this is undoubtedly one of the most popular Louis Vuitton bags, and there are more reasons than one behind its worldwide acclaim.
An ode to Louis Vuitton’s luggage history, these luxury handbags are a replica of the house’s original trunks. Not just replicas, they are literally miniature versions of the hefty trunks and bear all the signature elements, including the gold-finished S-lock, polished metal fittings and the monogram canvas.
The Louis Vuitton Petite Malle bears a hard boxy silhouette, showcasing the trunk’s rivets and rough look and is an ideal choice to make a fashion statement.
Available in leather and canvas bodies, colours and new reincarnated designs, the bag can be carried as a box clutch or worn across the body or hung from the shoulder by a detachable strap. Carry a slice of the rich fashion history of the luxury brand with the Louis Vuitton Petite Malle. It has been carried by celebrities like Jennifer Anniston and Kim Jones.
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Louis Vuitton Twist
Another of the iconic Louis Vuitton bags, the LV Twist is a great everyday bag, which is sturdy, elegant and emblematic of the label’s iconic styles. A perfect all-day accessory, the bag has a short chain hand strap and a crossbody leather strap that lends an easy and comfy yet stylish look.
The Louis Vuitton Twist gets its name from the twist lock system below the flap closure, which bears the metallic LV logo. This versatile bag is redesigned and relaunched every season, and this year’s design ushers in a host of feminine colours like pink, beige, wisteria purple and red and has monogram flower embellished chains. Available in PM, MM and BB sizes, the bag is made of LV’s signature epi leather, canvas and Madagascan raffia
Appealing to those who like smart minimalist fashion, this is one of the best Louis Vuitton bags for an elevated daylong look. The LV Twist has been famously carried by Emma Chamberlain, Fala Chen and Sophie Turner.
Louis Vuitton Coussin
Counted among the popular Louis Vuitton bags, the LV Coussin is distinguished by its soft pillowy leather body and strikingly debossed LV monogram.
The Coussin is accompanied by a gold-finished chunky metal chain and a long fabric strap. Being visually appealing and carrying the brand’s initials and logo all over the body and even engraved on the chain strap, it soon caught up with the social media trends.
Fashion influencers, celebrities and trendsetters are often seen sporting this bag. Global celebrities like Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez and Laura Harrier have been spotted with this luxury bag.
Made of soft lambskin or calfskin, the light cushion-type bag comes with three compartments, leaving no space for a mess. Available in sizes PM, MM and BB, the beloved LV bag comes in colours such as orchidée purple, silver, navy blue and black. As part of Nicolas Ghesquière’s LV Rose Fluo capsule collection, it is also available in a shade of fluo pink.
Louis Vuitton Boite Chapeau
Included among the best Louis Vuitton bags, the Louis Vuitton Boite Chapeau is a modern interpretation of the house’s traditional hat boxes. Unveiled in 2018, it stirred the air in the global fashion industry with its petite and compact look.
The perfect accessory to uplift your regular street style look, this bag is also spacious enough to hold your bare essentials while you are out enjoying brunch or dinner with friends.
Depending on your requirement, you can choose from the PM, MM, petite and mini versions which are available in the classic monogram printed canvas as well as exotic leather variations and a variety of colours. What grounds it true to its Louis Vuitton roots is the LV luggage tag, which makes a subtle impression when worn crossbody. Selena Gomez and Olivia Culpo have carried this bag elegantly.
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Louis Vuitton Pochette
There are a number of factors that make the Pochette one of the most popular Louis Vuitton bags. One, if you are a fan of all things minimal or less dressy, then this bag will truly appeal to you. Secondly, if you are looking for a versatile bag that can be transformed as per requirement, then this is the one; thirdly, if you wish to make a glam fashion statement but keep it small and compact, then you need not look further. Additionally, acclaimed stars like Anushka Sharma, Hailey Bieber and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja have turned heads with this bag.
The Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoires bag is like a larger toiletries bag and comes with a leather or chain strap or in some cases both. You can remove the straps and use it as a makeup kit as well. While the bag has a round coin purse, the double-zip closure and the separate pocket outside completes the look.
Available in the monogram and reverse monogram print, Damier Ebene canvas, cowhide leather, econyl and other materials, you can get the bag in an array of colours, sizes and styles.
Louis Vuitton Noé
The Louis Vuitton Noé bags are a nod to the long history of the French Maison. Originally crafted by Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the popular bag was designed to carry champagne bottles.
A sleek and modern reimagining of the classic 1932 design by Louis Vuitton’s grandson, the drawstring closure and a spacious bucket shape allow enough space to accommodate drinking bottles. You can also throw in all your day-long essentials in this sporty handbag and still pull off a chic look. Actor Julianne Moore is known to effortlessly carry this bag.
The luxury handbag is available in a range of colours and patterns and sizes: the NéoNoé, the Nano Noé, the Petit Noé, the Noé BB, the Noé MM and the Noé purse. It also comes in leather as well as monogram printed Damier Ebene and Damier Azur canvases.
Louis Vuitton Loop
The newest addition to the family of Louis Vuitton bags, the LV loop was created by Nicolas Ghesquière for the Cruise 2022 Collection. Resembling a half moon, the chic baguettes trace their foundation to the house’s Croissant bags.
Available in feminine floral buttercup prints on canvas, neon yellow monogram coated canvas, blue denim and the classic LV brown canvas, the bags bear leather trims and have a chunky chain shoulder strap as well as a leather crossbody strap. The bag also has a front zip pocket, which bears the LV Circle logo.
Despite being a new bag in the block, it has caught the attention of K-pop group TWICE’s member Nayeon.
(Hero and feature image credit: Edward Berthelot / Contributor/Getty Images)
This article was written for Lifestyle Asia.
