When Taylor Swift stepped out with Travis Kelce for the first time this month, most eyes were focused on their romantic gestures — mine, however, was drawn to her chic black bag, the perfect addition to a fall look. In the minds of fashion lovers, there’s no thrill quite like spotting an item from a celebrity that you already have in your closet. 

I first acquired a Flame Nirvana after seeing Taylor Swift wear it to Jack Antonoff’s wedding a few weeks back. I love the Nirvana because it is such a versatile bag, and when my boyfriend offered to buy me more styles from the brand, I swiftly (no pun intended!) took him up on it. AUPEN bags are unique and tasteful, suitable for gifts – and they are so affordable.

Although launched less than a year ago, the brand has been worn by A-listers including Jennifer Lawrence, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, Gal Gadot, Olivia Rodrigo, Fan Bing Bing and Dakota Johnson, solidifying it as the breakout handbag brand of the season.

Purpose Noir ($180)

Fearless Re-Edition Noir ($340)

Purpose Snow ($180)

Nyx ($490)

Shopping for new bags presents a usual set of dilemmas: how much wear will I get out of this item? Is it something I need, or something I just ‘wanted’ because I saw it on a celebrity? Put simply, the versatility of a bag to fit into my daily life is an important criterion for me. If I’m able to style it across more looks, the bag is going to get more uses, and in this recession — like it or not — that bag will be more worth it. My ideal bag needs to work with different outfits – and not be too eccentric. I like AUPEN bags because I can truly wear them from the office to a party. 

By dividing your wardrobe into where you are going—office, daytime, and parties—the basis of your wardrobe is sorted, and the goal is to find bags that fit your looks. The thing I like about AUPEN bags is that they work well in black and white, that you’ll never tire of, and I can use them as wardrobe building blocks for more colourful and trendy items—say, a bold scarf, Y2K tank top, bright shoe, or vividly-coloured blouse. AUPEN bags create the bare bones of a wardrobe, help you save money and transform the way you dress and approach personal styling—saving you decision fatigue.

The Daytime Bag

The Fearless and Nirvana are going to be the cornerstones of every cool girl’s closet. The bag designs stylise an otherwise basic fall look. As much as I love vivid colours, I recommend the bags in black or off-white as a worthwhile way of future-proofing your wardrobe. The sleek aesthetic aligns with my style, and the material is high quality and scratch-resistant. I’ve got so many uses out of these bags because they go well with brown and neutral tones for fall. The Fearless and Nirvana can fit my daily essentials from my phone to sunglasses. I’m excited to style these bags with a trench coat this fall like Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift.

The Party Bag

Party bags are like favourite foods: everyone has something different. Among the Purpose Ice and Nyx that I tried on – my favourite is the Purpose Ice. The dripping crystals across the bag are so chic – the crystals move with me as I dance my night away – the bag is truly an experience and I received compliments on it wherever I went. The Zirconian crystals sparkle so brightly in person and photos. Although the Purpose Ice fits credit cards and your phone, it won’t fit much more, for example, a power bank. The Nyx is bigger – it can store all of the above and has an edgier vibe to it which is less of my style. Because these party bags are metallic or black, they are my go-to regardless of the colour of my party dress – saving time for me and I’ve got so many uses out of them. 

The Office Bag

The Lover may be one of the first asymmetrical tote bags I’ve ever seen, and the quality of the bag is extremely good. It fits everything from iPads to gym clothing and water bottles. It comes with an adjustable strap allowing you to carry it crossbody or over one shoulder. I have not seen this style on any celebrity yet, and as much as I love an of-the-moment, trendy handbag, a durable tote bag is an effective building block that you’ll never want to part with. The only improvement I wish for is that this bag also comes in a larger size that can store a 14-inch laptop like the Bottega Veneta Andiamo. I said it here first – this could be AUPEN’s next IT Bag.

Aupen Bags