8 Vintage Designer Handbags From My Grandma's Closet That Are Still Icons Today

My grandma likes to collect things: porcelain turtles, The Family Circus comic strips, cards from her 12 grandchildren, glass horses, golden statues of nude women, and Chiclets (the gum), just to name a few. But my favorite and perhaps most treasured pieces from all my grandma's collections are her vintage designer handbags.

Grandma Jenny was born in Egypt in the 1930s, where her mother was an assistant buyer for an exclusive ladies' shop in Cairo. Here, my grandma's love of fashion began. In 1955, my grandma came to Boston, wanting to pursue her dreams as a fashion designer, and she instead ended up becoming a fashion collector. On her travels from Paris to New York to Milan, she began collecting designer handbags.

From Chanel card holders to the brand's signature quilted bags, Gucci bucket bags to floral Fendi baguettes, Louis Vuitton monogrammed handbags to Bottega Veneta clutches, my grandma's collection grew. "My bags are for certain outfits, not just to have. You buy a bag, and you know what to wear it with," she tells me as we read the newspaper in her Palm Beach apartment. "You will have a collection, too, one day. You build it throughout your life."

Of course, my collection is not nearly as impressive as my grandma's, but it's not supposed to be. There is no rush because building a collection that is timeless, well, takes time. My grandma has grown her collection over the course of her life, yet the individual handbags remain in style regardless of the times. And it's her uniquely precise and fashionable curating that has led her to accumulate the collection that she has today.

Now, it's 2021, and many of the bags are dispersed, gracing the arms and closets of her descendants. In Chicago, my mom is wearing a wine-colored quilted Chanel bag from the 1950s on a date with my dad. In Florida, my aunt's toting a Judith Leiber gold alligator clutch as she goes out to dinner with her children and grandchildren. In New York, my whitish-blue monogrammed Louis Vuitton is slung over my wrist on my way to a work event.

My grandma may not have intended it, but her bags mean something to our family. No matter where we are, these are the bags that are pieces from her collection, and these are the bags that allow us to have a piece of my grandma wherever we go.

Keep scrolling to see photos of a few of my favorite vintage bags and similar styles available today.

The Fendi Straw Tote

Modeled by the woman and legend herself, my grandma's striped navy dress goes perfectly with this straw tote from Fendi.

While this bag is near impossible to find today, the style and material have been recycled throughout Fendi's more recent collections, as seen below.

The Crossbody Prada Wallet

I wore this bag almost every day I visited my grandma in Palm Beach, and it went with every single outfit. Prada still makes similar styles despite this bag being over 15 years old.

The wallet bags below are great options, and I promise the silhouette's not going anywhere.

The Gold Chanel Clutch

This was the first bag my grandma ever gave me, and it is also the first time I have ever owned something so beautiful and delicate. I wear this bag to every special event.

Chanel doesn't make any bags similar to this today, but the brand does have some gold clutches and wallets that would serve a similar purpose. And one day, these will be vintage, too.

The White Salvatore Ferragamo Handbag

A handful of decades old, this Ferragamo bag is not only in pristine condition, but it is also still so fashionable. A classic white handbag is such a closet staple, and this one has been my grandma's since the 1980s.

Ferragamo is still the go-to brand for a classic white bag—as you can see below.

The Woven Bottega Veneta Clutch

My mom is equally as stunning as the bag she is carrying. For now, though, let's focus on the bag. This Bottega Veneta clutch is nearly 20 years old and was made in the brand's signature woven-leather style.

While the specific colors are nowhere to be found today, Bottega Veneta still makes fabulous clutches that can be worn with everything.

The Monogrammed Louis Vuitton Mini Bag

This bag is the epitome of vintage. Decades old, this monogrammed Louis Vuitton mini bag is so simple and subtle, but it is so elegant at the same time.

While you can find many monogrammed Louis Vuitton bags today, these are definitely some of my favorites.

The Classic Chanel Flap Bag

Modeled by my amazing aunt Lizzy and photographed by my talented uncle Larry, this is one of my grandma's first Chanels. 

While Chanel hardly ever repeats styles, the brand still makes incredible flap bags that will forever be iconic.

The Black Yves Saint Laurent Pochette

I may or may not have "borrowed" this bag from my mom's closet after my grandma gave it to her, but it is one of my favorite bags to tote on a night out.

YSL still makes these little black bags, and they're still as fashionable as ever.

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