Unlikely Closet Staple is made in partnership with MATCHESFASHION. It's a series in which we explore some of the less likely but no less essential aspects of the modern wardrobe.
The past decade has seen luxury fashion take an increasingly apparent interest in pure utility. Of course, at its most obvious, this consists of high-end performance pieces like taped-seam GORE-TEX jackets and the like, but there a countless other smaller but no less real examples of this. Take the dad shoe, for example, which was a style pariah until the mid-2010s when it was resurrected for its no-fuss, unpretentious silhouette. More recently, market bags have seen a new lease of luxurious life.
Usually crafted from woven nylon, these ginormous, checked bags are designed purely out of necessity, with little or no thought paid to aesthetics. Sitting, essentially, on the polar opposite end of the scale to luxury fashion has ironically put them in the firing line for a luxury reboot.
A luxury reboot that’s safe in the hands of Marni, Gucci, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, and more of fashion’s finest. A luxury reboot that we’re diving into with the help of MATCHESFASHION.
Keep scrolling to shop the best luxury market bags.
Marni Hand-woven Tote Bag
Marni can be credited with having one of the best-loved luxury interpretations of market bags on the market. These colorful, woven masterpieces show the true potential of the style.
Gucci Reverse Logo Tote Bag
Gucci takes a very direct route in translating the market bag into the luxury sphere. The typical tricolor checks of the OG style remain but are elevated by leather trims and, of course, a Gucci logo front and center.
Balenciaga Shell Tote Bag
Obviously, Balenciaga is on the front lines of this high-low exercise. Much like Gucci, Balenciaga cuts and pastes the unmistakable checked motif but opts for less luxe finishing touches with a drawstring top and webbed straps.
A.P.C. Diane Tote Bag
Never one to follow trends, A.P.C. abides strictly to a timeless-design-only rule. So, although this big woolen tote bag is defined by the same utility as market bags, it looks like a much more refined version.
Loewe Paula's Ibiza Anagram Bag
When we picture OG market bags in their natural habitat, it looks very different to the hot bohemian buzz of Ibizan markets. Loewe hits the nail on the head with this Balearic take, though.
LASTFRAME Contrast Stripe Tote Bag
The size of market bags makes them difficult to position in the lifestyle arena. LASTFRAME passes this obstacle with its rib-knit construction which gives this shopper-inspired sack the ability to grow and shrink depending on its contents.
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