April 8th, 2011 by Oscar Farber

The exclusive reign of the oversized bag has come to an end. The latest must-have handbags are miracles of efficiency, making the most of their smaller outlines with thoughtful design details and practical, structured frames. A far cry from the slouchy, uncooperative bags we’ve become used to, a framed bag makes it refreshingly easy to keep all our necessaries just where we need them.

Cherry-picking the best elements from bags gone by, these well-formed beauties are intelligent updates to classic cuts. An Alexander Wang handbag (pictured) puts a fresh spin on the doctor’s bag, while Marc Jacobs bags and Rebecca Minkoff clutches are roomier, more utilitarian nods to the satchels and evening bags of the past.

–Rebecca

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