The biggest bag trend from the Fall 2024 fashion shows is actually wearing your bag. These days, nobody wants a purse just to store in the closet like some kind of trophy. Instead, the best bag is one you can incorporate into your daily life.
Maybe it’s a tote overflowing with shoes and an extra outfit, à la Miu Miu, or dangling with charms that reflect your personal style, like at Coach. If you can manage to wear out the leather the way the Olsen twins do with their Birkins or Balenciaga City bags, that’s even better. A lot of designer bags will even do it for you: Intentional crinkles and scuffs were seen all over the Fashion Month runways, from Balenciaga to Prada.
Of course, if you’re looking for a bag to invest in for next fall, you’re probably considering the cost per wear. Thankfully, the big trending bags from the Fall/Winter 2024 show are the kinds you’ll want to carry over and over and over again.
Read on for our favorite bag trends for the upcoming fall season, along with styles you can buy right now to get a jump on the look.
Bags in Split-Pea Green
Red continues to dominate the runway as the accent color of choice, but a new shade of green isn’t far behind. In the last couple of seasons, Prada and Miu Miu each offered bags in quirky pea green. It’s not the color you think of when you envision something as serious as a designer carryall, but as seen on the runways at Gucci and Fendi, it is just as energizing as a pop of red. If anything, it adds a bit of necessary wackiness, making every look feel unexpected in the best possible way.
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The Return of the Bucket Bag
With oversize bags everywhere, micro bags feel like a true relic of runways past. The bucket bag, though—a hot silhouette from the mid-2010s—is making a comeback in the most bite-size proportions. At Ulla Johnson, models dangled suede bucket bags from two fingers as they sauntered down the runway. At Gucci, the trend took a slightly different shape, structured more like a vintage makeup bag. The best thing about the look is how you can’t just toss it over your shoulder; you have to be fully present when wearing it. It’s a bag that demands everyone’s attention, including your own.
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Tory Burch Fleming Bucket Bag
JW Anderson Corner Bucket Bag
Bags Made to Have and to Hold
At Miu Miu this season, every model looked like the coolest girl you know after she’s raided her even cooler mom’s closet. Pearls were tousled over unbuttoned collars, and carryall bags held with almost comically large gloves. The shape was part bowling bag, part doctor bag, and models clutched them close to their chests, like treasure chests filled with the little pleasures of everyday life.
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A Little Ladylike Pocketbook
What happened to the pocketbook? The term is rarely used to describe handbags anymore, because most recent styles don’t possess that dainty, ladylike energy … until now. For her most recent show, Anna Sui sourced vintage tapestry and chenille brocade handbags. At Sandy Liang, models used both of their gloved hands to parade a small bag adorned with a bow (of course) down the runway. The polished look is enough to make you yearn for simpler times, when you’d just need to pack a little book instead of your cellphone.
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Gucci Bamboo 1947 Super Mini Bag
Sandy Liang Milano Bag
Simone Rocha Micro Egg Clutch
Bags That Make You (Literally) Feel Something
At Simone Rocha, models carried what appeared to be fluffy stuffed animals, often with beady red eyes. As it turns out, the creatures were modeled after the church grim, a guardian spirit figure of English folklore that is said to protect holy ground from the devil. And while “accessories shaped like children’s toys that are actually inspired by dark lore” was not a trend on the runway, bags with a similar fuzzy texture certainly were. At Prada, they were adorned with bright feathers. At Loewe, the popular squeeze bag was covered in intricate beading, like a bumpy floral portrait on leather. Even at Tory Burch, bags were less sleek than normal, with straps encasing flap bags like a small basket. What everyone wants right now is not just a bag to hold, but one to actually touch as well.
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Chanel Raffia Flap Bag
Oversize Bags Overflowing With Life
Oversize bags have been popular now for a couple of seasons. But there has been a recent shift in how they’re styled. At first, bags were big, but completely zipped and sealed. They offered a nice, polished solution for carrying everything you need in your daily life. But last season there was a noticeable shift at Miu Miu, where Miuccia Prada found beauty in an overstuffed bag, with a change of clothing and shoes hanging out the side. As I wrote in my review of the show, “Mrs. Prada knows that to be a woman is sometimes to carry a change of outfit in your bag, so you can transform into another version of yourself that you are already expected to be.”
Now, this idea is everywhere. Bags are starting to reflect not a compartmentalization of life but the bustling nature of it. It’s as if they’re giving you permission to be your full, messy self. At Prada, bags had smaller fabric bags tied around the handle. At Tory Burch, straps were left undone, allowing flaps to fling open down the runway. And at Coach, funky personality tchotchkes dangled from purses, loading them up with personality.
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Saint Laurent ES Travel Bag
Maison Margiela 5AC Classique Tote
Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.
