The respectable ladylike shoulder bag has been reclaimed from your grandmother and is now the only respectable bag if you are following current trends. The Histoire in its many incarnations has been hit and miss but this version is head and, ahem, shoulders above the rest. Now that I’m looking at it, none of the others make sense, even the tote that I thought I loved but am now recanting (luckily, it never made it into my closet as BFF to the dust bunny). The classic flap uses the braiding detail as a tab closure. The only issue I have, and it’s a big one, is that the strap is way too short for most people thus it must be carried by hand. Not a deal breaker since the top handle ladylike bag is also quite happening these day. But if you are the lucky one with skinny arms, this will work both ways for you. At Saks Fifth Avenue for $1345.
