How To Wear A White Handbag In Winter

If there’s one thing that has the potential to elevate your style for any occasion, it’s a beautiful white handbag. Sure, it makes sense to bring out lighter coloured accessories in the summer… but what about during the colder months? Maybe you already have a gorgeous white handbag in your collection and want to get more wear from it, or perhaps you’re thinking about adding one but you’re not sure if you’ll get enough use from it. White is the perfect neutral all year round, so read on for some tips on how to wear a white handbag in winter.

Choose a practical style

This goes without saying when it comes to adding any handbag to your collection. But it’s especially true when it comes to a white bag that you’re planning to wear in the winter. If you live anywhere with seasons, there’s no point in buying a white bag that won’t fit your winter essentials. For me, that would be a small umbrella, sunglasses (that winter sun is brutal on the eyes, especially when driving!), tissues, lip balm and all the other usual things like my purse, phone etc.

Other practical considerations include choosing a material that’s durable. Sure, canvas might be cute for summer, but it’s going to be a nightmare to protect and keep clean in the winter. A durable leather is a must if you’re planning to wear a white handbag in winter.

And don’t forget about the closure – I always prefer a bag with a secure closure for safety reasons but make sure things aren’t going to fall out of your bag onto wet/muddy ground. Although, your white bag probably shouldn’t be going anywhere near the muddy ground…

Make sure it’s weatherproof

With just a few minutes of planning ahead, you can make sure your beautiful white bag stands a fighting chance of staying that way, even during the winter. Assuming you’ve chosen a durable material like leather, make sure you spray it with waterproof leather spray before taking it out. Here in the UK, the weather is so changeable at this time of year that while I might not plan to take a white bag out in a torrential downpour, it’s not unusual to be caught off guard. Once you’ve protected the leather, it’s also a lot easier to wipe clean when you do inevitably get marks on it.

Be aware of colour transfer

There’s nothing worse than taking your brand new white handbag out only to come home and realise you’ve got colour transfer on the back. Sure, no-one else can see it, but YOU know it’s there, and it’s annoying. The main clothing culprit for colour transfer to lighter-coloured bags is jeans. And if you’re anything like me, you probably spend at least 75% of your time in jeans during the winter. One way to get around this is to choose a handbag style that can be worn either on your shoulder or as a clutch. Or simply avoid denim while wearing your white bag.

Wear it with contrasting neutrals

I really think there’s something very chic about wearing a white handbag with a dark outfit. It’s a bold accessory choice but still keeps things classy. It fits perfectly with a monochrome outfit and really switches things up compared to grabbing a standard black bag. I particularly love a white handbag with a dark coat. Personally, I wear a lot of cool neutrals (black, grey, navy) but a white handbag also looks amazing with other winter neutrals like brown and tan.

Coordinate with the rest of your outfit

The opposite approach to contrasting your white handbag with your outfit also works well: coordinate it. I still love how my YSL Loulou looks with my white fluffy jacket. Another way to coordinate without looking too matchy-matchy is to pick one or two other accessories that will continue the white theme through your look. For example, a pair of white sunglasses or a lighter-coloured scarf. If you’re feeling really brave, why not go for some white boots!

My white YSL Loulou is one of my favourite bags in my collection and I don’t regret buying it at all. I also wear it throughout the year – in fact, I probably reach for it more in the winter to bring lightness to my darker winter wardrobe. You can watch my 6 month review on YouTube: