How To Make Every Bag An “It” Bag

For decades, the right handbag has been widely considered a status symbol, an accessory certain women wouldn't hesitate to spend thousands of dollars on. That idea, of course, is great for those who can afford to splurge every season on the latest Chanel or Balenciaga purse, but for the rest of us, well, our best bet is taking the Zara route. And while there's nothing wrong with that (we're huge proponents of finding steals), it's impossible to deny that these fast fashion bags (the ones everyone will inevitably have) just don't seem to have the same It factor as, say, that luxury number you've seen all over Instagram.

So, when our global editor-in-chief Christene Barberich came over to our desks lusting over this glorious Gucci bag featuring a big bow, our gears were turning on how we could make our own handbags look just as good. Fortunately, we were quick to realize that it doesn't actually take a monetary sum higher than your monthly rent to give any purse an extra dose of "wow." In fact, with the right amount of creativity and styling, many elements of today's trendiest options can be easily replicated.

That's when we tapped one of our favorite instagrammers, Reese Blustein of @double3xposure, to take on the challenge. Reese has a way of making one-of-a-kind vintage treasures and thrift-store finds look like a million bucks, so we knew she could school us in the art of giving any handbag that Gucci je ne sais quoi. And that's exactly what she did. Click on to see how she transformed a simple crossbody five different ways, and then grab your closest scarf and try them out for yourself.