Bucket Bags
Fashion Influence — how style shapes, and is shaped by, the people who wear it
A bucket bag is a tall, deep bag with a round or oval base and an open top, named for the bucket shape it copies. This guide covers the champagne-bottle carrier it descends from, the drawstring and structured forms it takes today, and how a bag with almost no compartments is actually carried.
Bucket Bags
A bucket bag is a handbag built like its namesake: a flat round or oval bottom, straight sides rising well above it, and a wide, open mouth. It is a shape, not a size — bucket bags run from mini versions that hold a phone and cards to full-size carriers — and it is a depth, not a width: a bucket bag is almost always deeper than it is wide, which is what sets it apart from the flatter tote. The classic closure is a drawstring or cinch threaded through the top edge, pulled closed and knotted or locked with a toggle; many modern versions leave the top open and rely on an interior pouch or zip pocket instead.
The shape's founding design is famous. In 1932 Louis Vuitton created the Noé — named for Noah — at the request of a champagne producer who needed a bag to transport bottles: the design held five, four upright and one inverted in the middle, its drawstring top keeping them secure. The Noé is still made, and its proportions — round base, tall body, drawstring — remain the bucket bag's template. The style resurfaced as a casual bag in the 1980s and 1990s, then returned in force in 2013, when the new label Mansur Gavriel launched with a simple leather bucket bag that sold out repeatedly and put the shape back at the centre of fashion. It has stayed in the collections since, at every price from the high street to the heritage houses.
Drawstring, Open and Structured Forms
Three constructions share the name. The true drawstring bucket is soft leather gathered at the top, the form closest to the Noé. The open bucket keeps the tall, round body but finishes the top edge cleanly, adding structure — a firm base, sometimes with metal feet — and a removable interior pouch that closes the security gap the open top leaves. The structured bucket is nearly rigid, holds its silhouette even when empty, and often adds a top handle beside its shoulder strap, which moves the shape toward the tote. Materials run the full range: smooth and pebbled leather for the classic versions, suede for the soft ones, canvas and raffia for summer, and nylon for lightweight travel versions.
Carrying a Bucket Bag
A bucket bag's cylinder is its strength and its problem. Tall objects — a water bottle, a folded umbrella, a paperback stood on end — fit naturally and stay upright, and the round base lets the bag stand by itself on a table or floor. The same depth means small items sink to the bottom, which is why experienced owners add a pouch or choose a lined version with interior pockets. Most bucket bags offer two carries, a shoulder strap and a longer crossbody strap; carried in the hand by a short handle, the shape reads dressier. The open top is the honest weakness: in a crowd or on public transport, a drawstring pulled tight or an interior zip pouch is the difference between a stylish bag and a secure one.
The bucket's closest relatives on this site are the slouchy hobo bag, which shares its soft body but not its base, and the crossbody bags it is so often carried as; the flap-front saddle bag is its opposite in almost every way. The term itself is defined in the bucket bag definition, and the full family is surveyed in the guide to the types of handbags.
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Common Questions
Why is it called a bucket bag?
Because of its shape — a round, flat base and tall, straight sides with an open top, like a bucket. The name describes the silhouette only; size, material and closure all vary.
What was the bucket bag originally designed to carry?
Champagne. Louis Vuitton's Noé of 1932 was made to transport five bottles of champagne — four upright and one inverted in the centre — and its drawstring top and round base set the pattern every bucket bag still follows.
What is the difference between a bucket bag and a tote bag?
Shape and carry. A tote is a flat, rectangular open bag with two handles, wider than it is deep; a bucket bag is round-based and deeper than it is wide, usually with one strap and a drawstring or cinched top.