Purses are far and away my favorite accessory: They can be a fun statement piece, a practical way to carry my life around NYC, or an outfit-maker that really pulls a look together – and some bags can even be all three at once. And while I’ve always dreamed about having designer handbag collection, in the last few years the way I’ve envisioned it has changed. I’m no longer interested in the big names and the styles that are everywhere for a year – and then look super dated shortly thereafter. No hate to the It Bag girls, but I’ve found that I prefer designer bags from cool independent and emerging designers, and the fashion girl faves that have a more IYKYK vibe. It is fun to have something unique, and because it is not going to go out of style after over-saturating the market, I can wear these types of bags for years – getting that all-important cost per wear down low. For example, if you follow me on Instagram, you’ve definitely seen some of my go-tos like my white Vavvoune Efa Bag and my beloved little green BY FAR pochette (and there is a very similar one that is part of this sale) on regular rotation. My latest addition – the adorably-named Staud Bean Bag (pictured above) is part of the sale too, with certain colors as low as $97.

Online shopping destination SSENSE (pronounced “essence”- not “sense” with a hissing sound at the start like my brain wants to pronounce it!) does a great job curating labels like this all in one place, and their sales are legendary among the shopping obsessed. The current one is particularly good, and I’ve found some DEALS in my online window shopping, so I want to share them with you if you are also looking for cool, fashion forward handbags for less (up to 80% off!) Click through below for my top SSENSE sale handbag picks, all under $200:

P.S. They also have some great shoes in the sale, along with some steals from select brands that actually offer extended sizes (like Ganni and Sinéad O’Dwyer), but frustratingly, they do not have a size filter, so it does take some searching to find pieces that fit.