JW PEI brown bags: chocolate, mocha and dark brown, the 12 to buy

Brown is JW PEI’s second colour and the one that grows every autumn: dark brown, chocolate, mocha, coffee and espresso in smooth vegan leather and, more and more, in faux suede. Luxury Handbags carries 226 brown colourways and another 98 in the tans, camels and sands that sit beside them, from $180 to $590. These are the twelve Gemma Deeks would buy, and the shade differences that matter.

Key facts

• 226 brown JW PEI bags at Luxury Shoes , $180 to $590, median $310; plus 98 tan, camel and sand colourways listed under beige.
• Brown shades used by the brand: Dark Brown, Chocolate, Mocha, Coffee, Espresso, Deep Brown, Chestnut, Umber; the tans are Camel, Cognac, Caramel, Acorn and Sand.
• Faux suede is the finish that made brown the brand’s autumn colour: the Hana, Lucia, Rowan, Nala and Joy all come in a brushed chocolate.
• The brand warns on its own pages that dark faux suede can transfer colour; keep it away from cream clothing.
• Dark brown vegan leather is the second most forgiving finish after black, and the one that reads most like leather in photographs.
• Every piece is authenticated and ships worldwide from Luxury Shoes .

The brown JW PEI bags to buy

1. Lucia Classic Top Handle Bag in Coffee Brown, $280

The brown Lucia, the classic handbag shape with a turn-lock and a strap.

2. Hana Mini Faux Suede Tote Bag in Brown, $250

The chocolate faux-suede Hana, the autumn tote.

3. Rowan Ruched Drawstring Chain Bucket Bag in Chestnut Brown, $320

The brown Rowan bucket on a chain strap.

4. Joy Shoulder Bag in Brown, $250

The brown Joy baguette; the faux-suede version is the richer one.

5. Lucia Classic Faux Suede Top Handle Bag in Dark Brown, $290

The Lucia in brushed faux suede, the softest-looking bag in the range.

6. Arden Belt Detail East-West Shoulder Bag in Dark Brown, $310

The dark brown east-west shoulder bag with a belt detail.

7. Nala Faux Suede Wide Tote Bag in Brown, $290

The Nala wide tote, 40 cm across with a 23 cm strap drop, in brown.

8. Thea Top Handle Bag in Brown, $250

The smaller Thea top-handle in brown, with a detachable strap.

9. Zora Faux Suede Shoulder Bag in Coffee Brown, $310

The Zora shoulder bag, 36.5 cm across, in coffee-brown faux suede.

10. Maelle Dachshund Charm Double Handle Bag in Dark Brown, $310

The dachshund-charm double-handle bag in brown, the animal line’s most wearable piece.

Wearing brown

Dark brown is the colour that makes a vegan bag look most like a leather one in a photograph, and it is kinder to the rest of a wardrobe than black: it goes with navy, with grey, with cream and with every shade of denim. Wear the dark browns with camel coats and white tops/shirt/" class="cvx-al cvx-al--category">shirts, the chocolate faux suedes with olive and rust in autumn, and the tans with white and light denim in summer. Gold hardware, which the brand puts on almost every brown style, is the reason the browns read warm, so gold jewellery finishes them. A dark brown Hana medium with grey tailoring is the office outfit the range does best, and a chocolate faux-suede Rowan with a camel coat is the weekend one. If you already own a black JW PEI, brown is the second colour to add rather than a third black.

Brown versus tan, and which shade to buy

JW PEI’s browns split into two families. The dark browns, chocolate, mocha, coffee and espresso, are the ones to buy as a black alternative: they go with everything and hide wear. The tans, camel, cognac, caramel and acorn, which Luxury Handbags files under beige, are the summer browns and the ones to wear with denim and white. If you want one brown bag, make it dark brown in smooth vegan leather, the Hana medium above all; if you want the seasonal one, the chocolate faux suede. The black bags are the other half of the core, and the tote guide compares every brown tote by size.

Frequently asked questions

Does JW PEI make brown bags?

Yes, brown is the brand’s second colour after black: 226 brown colourways at Luxury Handbags from $180 to $590, plus 98 tan and camel colourways.

What is the difference between JW PEI dark brown and chocolate?

Dark Brown is the smooth vegan-leather shade on the core styles; Chocolate, Mocha and Coffee are mostly the faux-suede shades, warmer and matte. All are dark; the tans (Camel, Cognac, Caramel) are the light browns.

Which brown JW PEI bag is best for work?

The Hana Medium Tote in dark brown, 43 by 25 by 13.5 cm, which takes a 12.9-inch iPad; the Hana Large for a laptop.

Does JW PEI brown faux suede transfer colour?

The brand warns that its dark faux suede can transfer colour and fade; keep it away from pale clothing and brush it rather than wet it.

Is the Gabbi available in brown?

Yes, the Gabbi comes in brown and tan shades alongside the black, and Luxury Handbags lists the current colourways on the Gabbi page.

Read next

The best JW PEI bags. The Gabbi bag. The Hana tote. How to style JW PEI. Shop JW PEI at Luxury Shoes .