It tells us an awful lot about a year, and in fact, a decade, if many of the period’s season defining trends focused on what we carried under our arms. Yes, we had the beginning of the 2020s to thank for Barbiecore, quiet luxury and the Y2K renaissance, but the real talking points were the It bags that made flash-in-the-pan trends feel like fully realised aesthetics. Whether you cooed over JW Anderson’s pigeon clutch or preferred the Loewe’s puzzling take on the tote, fell for Bottega’s woven styles or grabbed the Anthropologie dupe that went viral on social media, you found your way here first and foremost because you are a bag lover, and if you’re looking for the latest bag trends to invest in, the first place to start is the runway.
Ready-to-wear might have it’s timeless staples (the wool coat, the cashmere knit, the perfect pair of everyday jeans for example), but we get to have a little more fun experimenting with our accessories. Needless to say there are the eternal icons who have been around for decades (the Hermés Birkin and the Chanel flap bag spring to mind), but when we’re refreshing our wardrobes with a little update on our seasonal style, there’s nothing quite like a pulse-quickening, lust-worthy bag to bring things bang up-to-date. So, what can we expect from 2024?
All in the name of good journalistic research, I set about scouring the runways and analysing the 2024 collections to bring you the key handbag trends that I’m confident we’re about to start seeing everywhere over the next 12 months. From the supersized evening bags that are even bigger than last year’s totes, to the colour trend that influencers and editors are already backing, keep scrolling to see the six handbag trends that bring new meaning to the term “arm candy”.
Style Notes: It just wouldn’t be a trend round up without one standout colour, but as it turns out, 2024 is all about celebrating them all. Ultra-bold, Crayola brights cropped up in the majority of collections in the form of a colour-pop handbag—almost the antithesis of autumn/winter 2023’s trending shades of charcoal grey and chocolate brown. There’s a lot to love about this joyful trend that lifts almost any outfit to dopamine-inducing highs. Having a bad day? Reach for a good bag.
The cult favourite in bright citrus orange.
Surprisingly versatile.
Sunshine in a bag.
I’m obsessed with this blue.
This would look great against black, white and grey.
Style Notes: It seems like a contradiction in terms to have an “oversized clutch” as by its nature the handle-less bag should be able to easily fit in one hand or tuck under the arm, but if the runways have taught us anything, its how to make an accessory feel like the star of the show, and these exceptionally large clutches are the very definition of “big bag energy”. Don’t mistake them for the reserve of evening wear alone though, according to 16Arlington, Ferragamo, Victoria Beckham and The Attico to name a few, these bags are styled best with office tailoring, leather jackets and casual denim.
This entire fit is perfection.
A bag that doubles up as a shoulder bag and a clutch? Sign me up.
You won’t able to beat this price.
Too cute for words.
A dream bag, in every colour.
Style Notes: After the big, bad clutch it feels like we’re back on familiar territory with the bucket bag. There are no bells and whistles, no theatrical reinventions and no need for whacky colours here, instead 2024’s bucket bag harkens back to the classics—circular-bottomed, deep barrelled bags in deep, tonal colours that will go with everything (and fit everything inside too). Think of this deceptively roomy option as the fashion person’s rucksack.
Demellier are a certified Who What Wear editor favourite.
Oxblood red always looks expensive.
So chic!
Thats right, Bottega do outstanding mini bucket bags too.
Style Notes: Demure, ladylike and timeless, the top handle bag has been reinvented countless times but never falls out of fashion. Perhaps it’s down to the simple but elegant silhouette, maybe it’s the bags nostalgic appeal, either way, it may be no coincidence that the year we gravitated towards the slingback and a-line skirt also set the stage for the return of the top handle. Could we be ready to trade in 90s minimalism for 50’s Americana? Watch this space.
The Row always get luxury right.
There’s something satisfying about the squidgy pillow Tabby.
Now that’s a statement bag.
This looks like a prized antique.
Style Notes: And now to prints we know and love, 2024’s walk on the wildside takes the form of glossy mock croc, fierce leopard and statement snakeskin, in fact almost anything you’ll find on safari. There’s no better no way to dress up autumn/winter knits and coats and spring/summer’s simple dresses and tank tops, and since these styles always seem to come back around each year, it’s fair to consider animal print bags a sensible investment.
The subtle way to do leopard.
Tell me you didn’t think this was designer.
The bamboo handles are a nice touch.
It’s strokeably soft too.
Simply stunning.
Style Notes: Forget everything you learned about slouching (it’s actually considered chic). The structured, boxy totes and shoppers are out for the new year, and spring/summer ushers in the age of fluidity. Big bags made their way down the runway nonchalantly carried as they poured off the arms of models, and it is floppy suede, buttery soft leather and liquid silk leading the pack as languid forms and shapeless styles are the new way to do elegantly effortless. Good news for those for prefer to carry everything including the kitchen sink, these spacious bags are designed to be filled up and slung on, so you needn’t worry about choosing between your phone or your wallet.
Add this to your wishlist before it sells out again.
Arket bags keep getting better and better.
Another COS It bag in the making.
You won’t believe it’s not leather.
What a beautiful shade of blue.
Next Up: Just In: The Formula for a Truly Easy Winter Capsule Wardrobe