The New Bags at NET-A-PORTER That Refuse to Fade into the Background

The new bags at NET-A-PORTER favour print, colour and unexpected materials, with a few classic leather options that still justify their place.

Dark leather shoulder bags have their uses, but a new-season edit becomes forgettable when every option follows the same rectangular shape, familiar hardware and sensible strap. The new bags at NET-A-PORTER worth stopping for take another route. They bring floral print, bright colour, woven materials and shapes with a clearer character. These are the pieces that register at a glance and stay in mind after the first look.

The strongest departures are easy to spot. ALAÏA’s Le Teckel has a clear PVC body covered in yellow and green flowers. Saint Laurent’s Le 37 mini uses black wood beads in an open weave, edged in leather. Khaite’s Lotus is a broad navy suede curve with a wide matching strap. Loewe gives the Flamenco clutch a bright orange gathered edge and knotted sides. Each gives the eye something specific to remember, and ALAÏA’s Le Teckel makes the clearest starting point.

ALAÏA’s Le Teckel PVC shoulder bag leads the edit because it takes the familiar long, narrow bag and removes the expected leather. The clear body, yellow and green floral print and transparent strap all belong to the same idea. Its narrow shape keeps the flowers contained and makes an unusual material surprisingly easy to carry.

Saint Laurent’s Le 37 mini leather-trimmed beaded wood shoulder bag arrives at the same destination by a very different route. Its black beads form an open grid, broken up by black leather trim and handle. The small gold Cassandre gives the front a crisp focal point. This is a compact black bag with far more to look at than an unbroken leather panel. The open beading gives black a pattern and lets light pass through it.

Khaite’s Lotus suede shoulder bag changes the pace again. Dark navy suede covers a broad, rounded body, with a wide matching strap continuing the same clean shape. Where ALAÏA relies on print and Saint Laurent on open beading, the Lotus gets its character from colour, material and curve. It is more understated than either, but still immediately recognisable.

Loewe’s Flamenco leather clutch pushes the colour further. Bright orange leather brings its gathered top edge and knotted side drawstrings into full view, making the construction part of what you notice first. Toteme’s Lucky Wristlet takes a different route with leopard-print calf hair, shaped into a compact triangular pouch with black looped handles. The Loewe brings colour and movement. The Toteme relies on print and shape. Both have plenty of character despite their smaller size.

Colour gets bolder

Versace’s Pivot leather-trimmed suede bucket bag takes the colour further. Lilac suede meets burgundy leather trim, with a gold chain and Medusa medallion at the front. The burgundy gives the pale purple some weight, while the gold hardware adds another point of contrast. There is plenty going on, but the compact bucket shape keeps it all together.

Dries Van Noten’s printed satin shoulder bag takes the colour story in a softer direction. Orange flowers fill the centre of the slouchy satin body, framed by a darker floral border. The satin gives the print depth and movement, while the relaxed shape keeps the focus on the fabric. Compared with the sharper floral treatment of ALAÏA’s Le Teckel, this feels warmer and less graphic.

Loewe’s Flamenco two-tone leather tote returns to a shape we’ve already seen, but uses colour differently. Where the earlier clutch is bright orange throughout, the tote divides black and burgundy across the body, with the knotted drawstrings marking the change. The contrast brings more definition to the Flamenco’s gathered shape without making colour the whole story.

Valentino Garavani’s Rockstud mini embellished suede tote keeps its combination of red suede, square gold-tone studs, top handles and a front clasp within a compact shape. The red gives the bag its immediate impact, while the studs bring the familiar Rockstud detail into sharper focus. Gucci’s Jackie Slim then pulls things back. Its long curved strap gives the leather shoulder bag a recognisable shape, with the central silver-tone closure providing the only real interruption at the front.

Light materials with more than a holiday label

ALAÏA’s leather-trimmed paper straw shoulder bag avoids the usual basket-bag shorthand. Natural paper straw is bordered in black leather, and the large oval opening makes the handle a defining part of the shape. The dark edging gives the pale straw a stronger outline, while the generous size gives the material more presence than you might expect from a summer bag.

Loewe’s + Paula’s Ibiza Anagram Basket leather-trimmed raffia shoulder bag takes a more familiar route. Natural raffia is paired with tan leather straps and a large Anagram across the front, leaving the basket weave clearly visible around it. Where the ALAÏA uses black leather to give straw a sharper outline, Loewe keeps the material relaxed and puts its house signature at the centre of the bag.

Chloé’s Paddington brings suede back into the edit, this time in pale beige with rounded handles and its unmistakable oversized gold-tone padlock. Against the soft body of the bag, the hardware becomes impossible to miss. Its scale gives the pale suede a strong point of contrast and makes the Paddington recognisable before you get anywhere near the logo.

Saint Laurent’s Cassandre suede clutch takes the same material in a much more restrained direction. Tan suede forms an envelope flap with angular folded corners, while the gold Cassandre sits neatly at the front. The warm colour, folded construction and compact monogram give the clutch enough definition without adding much else.

The classics that remain worth choosing

The more unconventional bags in the edit sit alongside several classics that still have plenty of character. Gucci’s Borsetto Small leather shoulder bag keeps things simple in black leather, with a rectangular body, long top handles and a gold Horsebit at the front. The handles give the compact shape more length, while the Horsebit provides the single point of contrast. It is unmistakably traditional and still easy to pick out from the rest.

Bottega Veneta’s Madison Intrecciato leather shoulder bag takes a richer route through dark brown woven leather. A gold turn-lock, short top handle and chain strap give the compact shape a more dressed finish, while the Intrecciato weave keeps the brown leather from looking flat. The two carrying options add versatility, but it is the woven body that gives the Madison its identity.

Gucci’s Paparazzo medium leather-trimmed canvas-jacquard shoulder bag and Ristretto Horsebit embellished canvas-jacquard shoulder bag bring the house’s GG canvas into the section. Both pair beige jacquard with brown leather trim, but the details take them in different directions. The Paparazzo adds a green-and-red web stripe and luggage tag, giving the larger shape more of a travel influence. The smaller Ristretto keeps things tighter, with a gold Horsebit and chain strap defining the front.

Valentino Garavani’s studded bead-embellished quilted moire shoulder bag takes the section in a more decorative direction. Pale green quilting, gold-tone studs and beads, and a pale pink clasp give the compact bag plenty to look at. Balenciaga’s Le City crinkled-leather clutch changes the mood completely. Burgundy crinkled leather, a front zip pocket and dark metal studs replace Valentino’s quilting, beads and pale colours with something darker and more stripped back.

Our View

NET-A-PORTER has got the balance right with this edit. Gucci’s Borsetto Small and Bottega Veneta’s Madison keep black and brown leather firmly in the picture, while ALAÏA, Saint Laurent, Khaite, Loewe and Chloé take things somewhere less expected.

The bags we kept coming back to were the ones that stayed in mind after the first look. ALAÏA’s floral PVC Le Teckel, Saint Laurent’s black beaded Le 37 mini, Khaite’s navy suede Lotus, Loewe’s orange Flamenco and Chloé’s Paddington with that oversized padlock. They all look completely different, and none of them gets lost in the selection.

Would We Buy It?

Yes. ALAÏA’s Le Teckel would be our first pick. The floral PVC and long, narrow shape make it one of the bags we would still be thinking about afterwards.

Khaite’s navy suede Lotus comes close, followed by Loewe’s orange Flamenco clutch and Saint Laurent’s beaded Le 37 mini. If we were buying something more classic, we would go for Bottega Veneta’s Madison or Gucci’s Borsetto Small.