There’s a cool contest happening right now, and if you don’t have a go-to black handbag, chances are you’re losing. It’s unlikely, dear ELLE reader, that a connoisseur such as yourself wouldn’t have a classic black handbag in your closet, but in the rare instance that you might not, we’ve got you covered. And if you already do, well, you simply cannot have too many.

A staple so ubiquitous, there’s almost nothing to say about why you should own a black handbag—it’s just common sense. Leather, suede , nylon, calf hair, patent —the list goes on and on of the materials you could choose, but one thing remains the same: There’s no comparison to a great black bag.

The Best Black Handbags

The Carryall: Coach Empire , $450

The Cylinder: J.Crew Bordeaux , $138

The Hobo: Rebecca Minkoff

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