Often, a handbag collection is one of the largest investments in a wardrobe! These can range anywhere from handmade designer pieces to vintage family heirlooms, or delicate high-fashion pieces in exotic skins! With bags coming in so many shapes and sizes, it’s often difficult for clients to create a system for storing them that will provide protection for all their bags. Today, I wanted to share a few of my go-to accessories for outfitting a handbag collection, along with professional insights on when to use each! And, in case you’re looking to upgrade your own handbag closet, we offer all the following accessories for purchase at shoplaclosetdesign.com!

GLASS DIVIDERS

One of the most tragic mishaps that I see all too often in closets is color transfer of dyed leather bags! Often, clients don’t realize storing their handbags side by side, and allowing them to stay on the shelf for too long will cause color transfer from one leather to another. This is a costly error and one that’s usually not easy to repair. For this reason, I like to implement glass shelf dividers to keep bags separated! These can be fixed or adjustable, custom or store-bought, and will not only protect the bags, but also keep them upright and tidy while they’re not in use.

DRAWER INSERTS

As with anything in the closet — there’s a drawer insert for that! We always partition and line our drawers with custom suede inserts. These can be done in practically any color, and designed to fit the needs of each drawer’s specific contents. I like outfitting drawers for smaller bags and clutches, which often include more delicate evening bags and embroidered / sequined pieces. Suede is soft on these pieces, and keeping them tidy in a drawer means they won’t get knocked and shuffled around on a shelf as you pull pieces in and out of the closet.

PURSE HOOKS

Another tricky part of storing bags is keeping them upright and in shape — especially those that have less structure like totes and canvas bags! These usually have longer handles, and tend to fall flat in the closet. Purse hooks are a great tool for both protecting and organizing larger bags like these! The handles simply tuck into the hook and hold the bag upright. This keeps all those long straps and handles from getting tangled together, and prevents unsightly wrinkles and creases in the bags!

PURSE PILLOWS

Purse pillows are perhaps the number one investment I can recommend for extending the life of your luxury bags! Leather bags and the like lose their shape over time if improperly stored — this causes wrinkles, creases, and tears that can easily be prevented with proper storage. We outfit our clients’ bags with custom-sized silk pillows that maintain the shape of the bags, and will keep them sitting pretty when they’re on display in the closet. We also offer these in a variety of more standard shapes and sizes for more common bags (Birkins, flap bags, etc), and you can always double up a few smaller pillows into a larger bag if you’re in a bind!

PURSE STANDS

If you’re a collector of smaller handbags and evening chain bags (Saddle bags, Fendi baguettes, etc), a metal purse stand might be your new best friend! These are some of the hardest bags to store, as they can’t stand up on their own, yet are too small usually to hang from a purse hook — they start to look silly! Instead, let me introduce you to the adjustable purse stand! This is a great option that mimics the way the bags are actually merchandised in the store, and keeps your collection looking its best at all times.