The Designer Bags That Are Dominating This Season
There’s a lot of stuff out there, and not all fashion pieces are created equal. Luckily, the ELLE editors know their way around a shopping rail, and when it comes to helping you find those niche brands worth knowing to high-street hits of quality, and a few vintage treasures too, our ELLE Edits showcase the very best of the season.
The kingpin of any good capsule wardrobe will always be a great designer bag. For many of us, a logo-ed tote or gilded clutch will have been our first foray into Big Fashion: a gateway into a world we’d long admired from afar, bestowed upon us for a significant birthday, studiously saved up for, or splurged on to mark a celebratory moment.
Today, the designer bag market is a behemoth, with every fashion house competing to create the style of the season (or, if they’re really smart, the style of the decade). Of course, those investment-level classics – think the Birkin and Chanel 2.55 – will never lose their lustre, but now there’s a host of new players on the pitch, each one equally desirable and guaranteed to stand the test of time.
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This year, modern minimalist brands are really making noise (well, metaphorically, at least). Quiet-luxury mainstays Toteme and The Row are crafting sublime leather pieces that are both practical in proportion and elegant in aesthetic. For those after something with ‘It’ status, the likes of Miu Miu and JW Anderson are combining statement shapes with dateless luxury. The Y2K revival is still alive and kicking at Balenciaga and Givenchy, while Alaïa is first past the post to create a 2024 signature that’ll clearly become an integral part of the brand's blueprint.
Whether you're after an investment bag or something shiny and new from the affordable designer bag realm – or perhaps even a vintage designer bag for sustainable bragging rights – see the ultimate ELLE UK guide to the best designer bags of the year here.
The Ultimate Designer Bag Directory
Prada
After seasons of frustratingly tiny and perilously delicate bags, the big houses are placing their focus back onto practicality this season. One of the best new offerings, Prada’s Aimée is a savvy investment for anyone who gives equal value to both form and function. First seen on the AW24 runway, it features a classic rectangular silhouette that slouches down in the middle, meaning you can comfortably swing it over one shoulder.
Dior
This season, Maria Grazia Chiuri has resurrected one of Dior's most iconic print designs. The newspaper motif on this Saddle bag was cemented into fashion history by Carrie Bradshaw, who wore a dress by then-creative director John Galliano in Sex And The City's third season. Of course, the Saddle is a house icon in its own right, debuting in the same autumn/winter 2000 collection as that gothic-type lettering, making this reboot one really worth investing in.
Marc Jacobs
Riding high on the wave of Noughties nostalgia, Marc Jacobs re-released its Stam bag in 2023: an icon of the Y2K era. Originally carried everywhere by the likes of Rihanna and Lindsay Lohan, this quilted carry-all makes a welcome return for more than its aesthetic appeal: the body is roomy enough for your every last essential, while the secure clasp fastening and chunky chain handle mean it boasts more practical points than most.
Chloé
In case you missed the memo, the boho revival is upon us – and of course, Chloé is the house leading the charge. Newly bedded-in creative director Chemena Kamali has returned the house to its ultra-feminine, folk-filtered identity, and the nostalgic Marcie bag is a perfect way to indulge. Delightfully practical (note the zipped top and just-big-enough body) and made from grained leather that’ll only look better with age, it’s the ultimate investment for anyone with a bohemian proclivity.
Balenciaga
If the Neo Classic looks a little familiar, that's because it's a riff on the iconic Balenciaga Giant City bag: a bastion of Noughties style. Peppered with metal studs and finished with a swinging heart-shaped mirror, it's the kind of throwback we're itching to embrace this season. Plus, the signature crackled leather only gets better and better with age.
Bottega Veneta
Meet the Kalimero Città: a new Bottega Veneta icon that builds on the phenomenal success of the puffy, padded Cassette. Exemplifying the brand's focus on traditional artisanal techniques, this boxy silhouette features a tactile new take on the iconic Intrecciato weave, and a chunky braided handle that can be held in-hand or swung from a shoulder.
JW Anderson
Following on from the phenomenally popular Bumper bag, the Corner is JW Anderson's next statement-making creation. This fresh iteration comes in optic-white leather, with utilitarian cording wrapped around the strap, which is punctuated with a silver chain-link detail: a calling card to those in the know.
Coach
The Coach revival is seemingly unstoppable, and this season the brand's blockbuster bags are taking over. This one, the Tabby, combines form and function, with timeless gold hardware and a sleek silhouette that'll work perfectly over both denim looks and smarter separates.
Givenchy
The Pumpkin is Givenchy's new cult-classic in the making. This puffed-up patent-leather pouch is brilliantly sized (think: all the essentials plus your giant water bottle) and neatly scrunches at the top, to be swung by the buckled shoulder strap.
Saint Laurent
One of the most recognised luxury calling cards, Saint Laurent’s cursive metal logo features on every major bag release. Named after its creator, the graphic designer Cassandre, it takes centre stage in the new Le 5 À 7 Bea: a slouchy, satisfyingly capacious tote that you could stuff your gym kit and laptop in (you won't though - it's far too special).
£2645.00 at net-a-porter.com.uk
Gucci
In such economically turbulent times, the big fashion houses are banking on the heft of their heritage, bringing timeless styles out of the archive and giving them a new-season spin. One of the most successful, Sabato De Sarno’s reimagining of Gucci’s Jackie bag – first launched in 1961 and named after its biggest fan, Jackie Kennedy Onassis – is crafted in rich, glossed leather in the new house hue, Rosso Ancora red. The oxblood hue is inspired by the rich interior of the Savoy Hotel’s elevator, where Guccio Gucci himself once worked as a luggage porter.
Chanel
Perhaps the most recognised designer bag on the planet, Chanel’s incomparable 2.55 likely needs little introduction. Named after the date of its creation (February 1955), Gabrielle Chanel’s revolutionary design changed the way women approached fashion, introducing ease and practicality into what was often a stifling and impractical way of dressing. The 2.55 was the first designer bag to feature long shoulder straps, meaning women’s hands were freed up – at no cost to elegance.
Ferragamo
Creative director Maximilian Davis continues to meld Ferragamo's house codes with contemporary impact this season. A major new launch, the Hug bag features a back panel that wraps across the front, secured by miniature Gancini metal clasps. Made from hard-wearing pebbled leather and perched on metal feet, it's one you'll treasure for decades to come.
The Row
As a decade of paparazzi photos proves, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have an eye for a perfect bag. Now, it’s their own discreet design being thrust onto the most well-curated wishlists worldwide: the Margaux is The Row’s logo-less hero bag, designed for the working woman and adopted by some of most well-dressed names in Hollywood, from Jennifer Lawrence to Zoë Kravitz.
Celine
As classic as it is covetable, Celine’s Victoire is a flawless designer investment. Launched in 2023, it’s designed to be used by both day and night, sized for the essentials and elevated with just enough gold hardware. The inimitable Triomphe logo is placed front and centre, while the chain straps will bring a glamorous edge to any look, be it a T-shirt and jeans or androgynous tailoring.
Alaïa
Short, squat and sublimely sculptural, this sausage dog of a shoulder bag is undoubtedly one of 2024’s most in-demand pieces. Inspired by the late designer’s love of dogs, Le Teckel is crafted to a long rectangular silhouette and topped with cursive handles for a silhouette that makes a statement without the need for outré embellishment.
Miu Miu
Miu Miu’s Matelassé pleated leather is back in a big way this season. First used in the brand’s bag collection back in 2006, the artisanal process transcends seasons, bringing touchable, textural impact to cross-body bags and neat top-handle styles. The Arcadie, with its satisfyingly squidgy structure and swingable size, is top of our wish list for AW24.
Aspinal of London
One for the classicists, Aspinal’s Mayfair bag is a Royally-approved piece, worn by pretty much every A-lister and It-girl in existence. Whether it’s Ascot, a summer wedding or simply a big working week, this neat top-handle bag, which comes in an array of hues and finishes, will fit the bill.
$562.00 at aspinaloflondon.com
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton’s joyfully capacious Neverfull is iconic in its own right, but this new iteration, created in collaboration with Chinese artist Sun Yitan, is sure to become a collector’s item in its own right. The immediately recognisable monogrammed exterior is updated with a supple leather patch of Tiyan’s Pepto Bismol-pink bunny rabbit.
Fendi
A Nineties icon, the Fendi baguette has remained firmly on fashion’s radar for over 25 years. Worn by everyone from Carrie Bradshaw to Kim Kardashian, this slender shoulder style has been reinvented in a thousand guises. Whether you order yours doused in glitter, embroidered with sequins, soaked in logos or heavy with hardware, it’ll be an investment you treasure forever.
Dolce & Gabbana
For those who want their accessories to come with maximum glamour, Dolce & Gabbana is ready to provide. The Devotion bag is made for magpies, available in a rainbow of metallic leather hues and embellished with the brand’s hand-crafted heart-shaped hardware, inlaid with faux pearls.
Alexander McQueen
True to the late designer’s red-blooded vision, Alexander McQueen’s sculptural leather tote is crafted to a clean-lined silhouette and topped with a signature knuckle-duster handle. Should you wish to carry it in a less-threatening way, however, the shoulder strap is adjustable and designed to be slipped neatly over one shoulder.
Toteme
From Katie Holmes to Angelina Jolie via Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, so many of the celebrity world’s best dressers have been seen carrying this future classic. With the launch of the T-Lock, in all its slick, minimalist glory, Toteme is fast becoming a major player in the accessories arena.
Michael Kors
Noughties nostalgia reigns at Michael Kors this season. One of the season's stand-out bags, the Colby is a boxy, buckled-up triumph that'll see you from work to weekend, pub to party.
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