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10 best women’s purses and wallets that are functional, stylish and made to last

Whether for coins, cash or cards, these accessories are worth the investment

Emily Dawes
Thursday 07 October 2021 08:37 BST
<p>Some designs slip easily into your jeans pocket, while others are big enough to fit your whole phone </p>

Some designs slip easily into your jeans pocket, while others are big enough to fit your whole phone

There’ll always be something undeniably satisfying about carrying a wallet, purse, cardholder – whatever your preference is – and soaking up those envious looks from passersby when you have all your essentials in one handy, very chic place.

These days, there are so many intuitive designs on offer, you’re guaranteed to find one that slips perfectly into your lifestyle – whether you prefer to carry a couple of cards and a few notes, or you’re someone who stores their whole life inside it, from baby photos to business cards.

This plethora of options can be a good thing, but also confusing if you’re on the hunt for the perfect style, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with options. That’s where we come in. Whether you’re shopping around for yourself or for someone else (they do make perfect gifts), we’ve gone above and beyond here to search across the most popular accessory brands and lesser-known labels to curate this list of the very best women’s purses and wallets on offer right now.

Our main conclusion? A purse is an investment piece – find the perfect one and you’ll have it by your side for a long time to come (and wonder how you lived without it before). If you’re planning on using it every day we would suggest spending that little bit more and taking home one that will last. But if you’re after more budget-friendly options that look the part, we’ve got those too.

How we tested

We’ve covered classic leather options, sustainable styles, and more affordable pieces too. Some have hundreds (ok not hundreds, but loads) of card slots and some have roomy zip pockets for coins. We tried and tested them all at full capacity to see how much they could withstand, and weighed up how practical they were for running errands with. Some slip easily into jeans pockets and some are big enough to even fit your phone inside.

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Keep scrolling to discover our verdict on which purses and wallets are worth spending your hard-earned cash on.

The best women’s purses and wallets for 2021 are:

  • Best overall – Joules langton large heritage leather purse: £59.95, Joules.com
  • Best large zip purse – Smythson panama zip long wallet: £355, Smythson.com
  • Best budget purse – Fenella Smith green aria purse: £28, Fenellasmith.com
  • Best medium-sized purse – Smythson panama continental purse: £325, Smythson.com
  • Best all-purpose purse –  Radley London pockets large bifold matinee purse: £89, Radley.co.uk
  • Best small high-street purse – Ted Baker naomila twist lock small fold purse: £65, Tedbaker.com
  • Best luxury cardholder – Aspinal of London double sided zipped card & coin holder: £85, Aspinaloflondon.com
  • Best high-street cardholder –  & Other Stories leather cardholder: £35, Stories.com
  • Best coin purse – Whistles Kira shiny croc zip purse: £55, Whistles.com
  • Best small luxury purse – Mulberry small continental French purse: £275, Mulberry.com

Joules langton large heritage leather purse

Langton large heritage leather purse indybest.jpeg

Best: Large high street zip purse

Rating: 10/10

We were the first people to presume our best buy would come from one of the luxury brands on this list, who’ve made designing exquisite leather goods their USP after many years of experience. But Joules’ leather purse was so impressive, for such a good price, we couldn’t not give it the top spot. Classically beautiful, this tan leather zip purse has everything you could want if you’re after a larger rectangular style. The zip is great quality and wide (so it expands easily), in a beautiful gold tone. The real leather is buttery soft (and smells great), and the understated design makes it appear much more luxurious than the affordable price tag suggests. It’s also made in Great Britain and comes from a family business who prioritise sustainability in all its product sourcing. Practically? There’s plenty of card slots inside, a roomy coin purse and section for notes and receipts. This would make a special gift (to yourself or someone else), especially if you’re worried about sticking to a budget.

  1. £59 from Joules.com
Prices may vary
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Smythson panama zip long wallet

Smythson Panama zip long wallet indybest.jpeg

Best: Large zip purse

Rating: 9/10

Smythson’s popular panama collection is full of its most iconic designs that reflect the luxury leather brand’s 134-year history. This classic yet contemporary rectangular zip wallet not only looks good, it also has all the pockets and compartments you could ever need. If you’re looking to invest in a large wallet that holds everything but the kitchen sink, look no further. We particularly loved the quality, with a strong, deep zip and hard-wearing crossgrain leather that’s built to last. What this style had that set it apart though, was the vertical card holders on one side as you open it, so you can avoid any frustrating digging around once you’ve filled it to the brim.

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Fenella Smith green aria purse

Fenella Smith green aria purse indybest.jpeg

Best: Budget purse

Rating: 7/10

Get the look and feel of a fancy leather purse for a much more affordable price with Fenella Smith. We loved this bright and joyful apple green zip wallet version that has a fun tropical palm print lining, but it also comes in seven other colours from classic navy to understated blush. It has all the functional slots you might need from a larger zip purse, and although we can’t imagine the quality will last you as long as some of the more luxurious purses on this list, it will certainly do the job right now.

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Smythson panama continental purse

Smythson Panama continental purse indybest.jpeg

Best: Medium sized purse

Rating: 9/10

It’s a testament to how good Smythson’s leather goods are that we were compelled to include two of its purses in our list. Mixing functionality with the finest craftsmanship, this medium-sized purse is actually like two styles in one. Open the flap section and you have plenty of handy card slots and notes slips, while on the other side you have a spacious, double compartment zipped coin purse. The beautiful crossgrain leather was first designed in 1908 to be particularly hard-wearing, so you can be sure this is a purse that will last forever. This style is smaller in size than the large zip wallets, but less streamlined so it really comes down to preference.

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Radley London pockets large bifold matinee purse

_Radley London pockets large bifold matinee purse indybest.jpeg

Best: All-purpose purse

Rating: 8/10

We felt this purse did everything really well, so we’re naming it our best multi-tasker, or all-purpose purse. Somewhere between a purse and a wallet, we found it’s not too big nor too small. It’s soft and malleable rather than stiff so it didn’t feel quite as bulky as some of the purses on this list, but it’s still got that practical and roomy rectangular shape. This one folds in half with a book-like design that hides at least 12 card slots and five larger slip pockets for notes inside. Then there’s a large zip pocket too, and two more pockets on the front and back for good measure. Looks-wise, the contrasting smooth and mock-croc mahogany finish is perfect for autumn and beyond, but it comes in classic black as well. Radley knows how to do leather goods, so even at under £100 you can have full confidence that you’re getting a style that will last.

  1. £89 from Radley.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Ted Baker naomila twist lock small fold purse

Ted Baker Naomila twist lock small fold purse indybest.jpeg

Best: Small high street purse

Rating: 8/10

This small purse certainly looks the part, and if you’re after the designer appearance without the price tag, we’d start here. Yes, it’s high street, but you won’t find any flashy logos that tell you so. Made with real leather, the understated tan grained finish and gold-tone colourway won us over instantly. So, let’s talk about functionality. It’s much smaller than the large rectangular zip purses, but this one easily fit in our back pocket when popping out for a coffee during testing – a huge plus. And it also meant we didn’t amass so many old receipts in there unnecessarily. There’s still plenty of space for cards and enough coins for the local parking meter, with two inner compartments and a zip pocket, as well as a zip pocket on the outside for easy access.

  1. £65 from Tedbaker.com
Prices may vary
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Aspinal of London double sided zipped card & coin holder

Aspinal of London double sided zipped card & coin holder indybest.jpeg

Best: Luxury cardholder

Rating: 9/10

Like your average cardholder but, well, better. We couldn’t help but be very impressed with Aspinal’s purse offering, but this one in particular stood out for being something you can’t always find everywhere else. For starters, the cream croc-effect patent leather has such a premium feel to it, and our first thought was what a nice gift it would make (is it time to start those Christmas wish lists yet?). If you’re a card tapper and hardly ever carry much else with you, a slim card holder is all you need, and this one even has a small zip pocket for coins too.

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& Other Stories leather cardholder

_& Other Stories leather cardholder indybest.jpeg

Best: Highstreet cardholder

Rating: 9/10

& Other Stories is one of the high street destinations that always does leather accessories so well, they could easily pass for their designer counterparts. This understated leather mock-croc cardholder is no exception. The rich green leather and gold hardware combo is super stylish, although if it’s a different colour you’re looking for this particular style comes in 25 of them. There’s three roomy card compartments, perfect for stuffing with all your necessities and the foldover flap closure keeps them nice and safe too, compared to your average slip pocket card holders. We loved how simple and easy this style was, perfect for popping in your pocket wherever you go.

  1. £35 from Stories.com
Prices may vary
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Whistles Kira shiny croc zip purse

Whistles Kira shiny croc zip purse indybest.jpeg

Best: Coin purse

Rating: 8/10

Want a small, practical purse that still looks luxurious and glossy, without the designer price tag? We personally found Whistles’ styles to be up there with some of the best. This smaller zip style we loved in particular while testing, because it held an awful lot without stretching too much, and it still fit in our coat and back pockets with ease. The shiny mock-croc leather is timeless, so whether you’re wanting something to slip seamlessly into your wardrobe or someone else’s, you can bet this will be a winner. Once open, the pockets are spacious despite its generally compact size, with a double compartment for coins, cards or folded up notes and receipts, as well as card slots too.

  1. £55 from Whistles.com
Prices may vary
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Mulberry small continental French purse

Mulberry small continental French purse indybest.jpeg

Best: Small luxury purse

Rating: 9/10

This bestseller from British heritage brand Mulberry basically does everything a large zip purse does in a more compact version. So if you’re looking for a compromise between size and practicality, you’ve just found it. A lot of thought has gone into this design, which we guess is what you pay for. Along with the durable craftsmanship and beautifully soft leather. Anyway, it has plenty of clever pockets to make the best use of space, allowing for a roomy double zipped compartment and eight credit card slots and a notes section. Because of how spacious it is, it’s not so streamlined when it’s full to the brim, but will still fit effortlessly inside most handbags and coat pockets.

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The verdict: Women’s purses and wallets

Joules’ leather zip purse blew us away with quality and value for money, so it was a no brainer for our best buy. If you’re looking to invest though, we’d suggest heading to Smythson for its seemingly bottomless panama zip long wallet, or Mulberry for its smaller continental purse. Both boast exquisite craftsmanship that will no doubt stand the test of time.

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on women’s handbags and other accessories offers, try the links below:

Transform any outfit with our best women’s crossbody bags from the likes of All Saints, Zara and more

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