The JW PEI Gabbi bag: sizes, colours, what fits and how to wear it

The Gabbi is the bag that made JW PEI: a small ruched hobo with a gathered top handle, a magnetic closure and no logo, launched in 2021 and photographed within months on Irina Shayk, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid and Megan Fox. It is still the design people mean when they say “the JW PEI bag”. Luxury Handbags carries it in 10 colourways from $250 to $310, including the crystal mini editions, and this is the guide to buying one.

Key facts

• Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag: 24.5 cm wide, 13 cm high, 6 cm deep, handle drop 17 cm, magnetic closure, one interior pocket, fits any phone, by the brand’s own measurements.
• Material: vegan leather (polyurethane-based), lined in polyester; some editions in faux suede, denim and artificial crystal.
• Luxury Handbags carries 10 Gabbi colourways from $250 to $310; the classic vegan-leather version is $250.
• Co-founder Stephanie Li told JDEED in 2022 that Irina Shayk carried it first, then Emily Ratajkowski in several colours on four occasions, then Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid and Megan Fox at New York Fashion Week.
• Carried by the handle in the hand, worn on the shoulder with the handle at its longest; there is no crossbody strap.
• The Gabbi is the most copied JW PEI design; Luxury Handbags authenticates every one before dispatch.

What the Gabbi is

A soft hobo gathered onto a wide ruched handle, so the bag reads as a single sculptural curve. It sits under the arm when carried by the handle and swings from the hand when held low. The classic version is vegan leather in a smooth finish with a light sheen, lined in polyester, with a magnetic snap under the ruching and a slip pocket inside. It holds a phone, keys, a compact wallet and a lipstick, and not much more; the brand lists it as fitting any phone, and that is the honest capacity. The Gabbi Ruched Hobo in Black is the reference piece.

Sizes and editions

The standard Gabbi is the 24.5 by 13 by 6 cm bag. The Gabbi Artificial Crystal Medium is the evening edition, a smaller frame covered in glass crystals with an 11 cm handle drop, sized for a lipstick and a compact rather than a phone. Over the years the brand has cut the shape in faux suede, denim and sequin, and colourways rotate every season, which is why the sale section of the brand’s site so often carries a Gabbi in last year’s shade while the black stays full price.

The Gabbi colourways at Luxury Shoes

1. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Black, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 13 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone. The colour to start with, and the one Irina Shayk and Megan Fox carried.

2. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Grass Green, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 13 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone

3. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Ivory, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 12 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone. The summer version; treat it gently on the corners.

4. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Light Yellow, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 12 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone

5. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Nutella, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 12 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone

6. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Pink, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 13 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone. The pastel the street-style photographs made famous.

7. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in Purple, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 12 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits any phone

8. Gabbi Ruched Hobo Handbag in White, $250

Vegan leather. 24.5 x 13 x 6 cm (width x height x depth). Fits iPhone 13 Pro Max and any smaller phone

9. Gabbi Artificial Crystal Medium Ruched Hobo Handbag in Anthracite, $310

Wash denim. 19 x 10 x 4.5 cm (width x height x depth). Fits a lipstick and a compact, not a phone

10. Gabbi Artificial Crystal Medium Ruched Hobo Handbag in Green, $310

Artificial crystal / polyester. 19.5 x 9.5 x 4.5 cm (width x height x depth). Fits a lipstick and a compact, not a phone

How to wear it

By the handle, over plain clothes. Straight jeans and a white tee, a slip dress, a knit and trousers; the Gabbi is the accent, so the outfit stays quiet. Match the bag to the shoe rather than the dress, and keep jewellery small because the ruching is already the ornament. Black works with everything; the pastels and the crystal editions are for the outfit built around them. Our JW PEI styling guide has the full season.

Gabbi versus the rest of the range

Choose the Gabbi for evenings, lunches and weekends. If you need a work bag, the Hana tote takes a laptop and the Gabbi does not. If you want the nineties baguette line rather than the hobo, the Joy is the one. If you want a rigid evening bag, the Abacus. The Gabbi is the piece to buy first because it is the piece the brand is known for, and it is the most photographed bag at this price on the market.

Frequently asked questions

What is the JW PEI Gabbi bag?

A small ruched hobo bag with a gathered top handle and a magnetic closure, launched by JW PEI in 2021, 24.5 by 13 by 6 cm, in vegan leather. It became famous when Irina Shayk, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid and Megan Fox carried it.

How much is the JW PEI Gabbi bag?

$250 at Luxury Handbags for the classic vegan-leather version, with the crystal and other editions across $250 to $310.

What fits in the JW PEI Gabbi bag?

A phone of any size, keys, a compact wallet and a lipstick. The brand lists it as fitting all phone sizes; it is not a bag for a tablet.

Is the Gabbi bag real leather?

No. Like every JW PEI bag it is vegan: a polyurethane-based vegan leather, lined in polyester, with some editions in faux suede, denim and crystal.

Which celebrities carry the Gabbi?

By the co-founder’s account, Irina Shayk, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid and Megan Fox all carried it soon after launch; Lucy Hale has been photographed with it too.

Does the Gabbi have a crossbody strap?

No. It is carried by the ruched top handle, in the hand and on the shoulder.

Read next

The best JW PEI bags, ranked. The Hana tote. The Abacus. How to style JW PEI. Shop every JW PEI bag at Luxury Shoes .