Handbags are objects of obsession; with every season there tends to be a couple of stand-out pieces (here are the standout bags for Spring) that completely steal the show, flying off the shelves in popularity and rising to claim the top spot on every fashion person’s wishlist.
Vintage styles such as bowling bags make a striking return alongside other dainty, antiqued styles such as ladylike coin purse silhouettes. There was a strong focus on fringing, as soft clutches were adorned with loose yarn textiles. To boot, micro bags now serve as both tiny compartments for your loose change, and a charm to attach to your bags like a little keychain.
Check out our round-up of the key bag trends to know for next fall.
Representing the OTT lavishness that has gotten popular amongst the fashion crowd in recent seasons, designers are dressing their bags with statement embellishments and charms. At Chanel, oversized velvet clutch bags were festooned with saturated costume jewels that looked like they came straight out of grandma’s treasured jewellery trove.
Loewe had a collection of clutch bags in neutral coloured supple leather (think: white, brown and black) with sizeable gold-studded, conch shell-esque charms dangling from the end of the drawstrings.
Balmain chose to go all-out-glam, pairing a sequinned brown dress with a metallic gold handle bucket bag bedecked generously in sparkling crystals.
We remember thinking to ourselves, coming out from the FW ‘20 fashion month, that it would be a really cool idea to match our bags EXACTLY to our outfits. Alexander McQueen had a blush pink quilted foldover clutch teamed with a skirt crafted from the same fabric.
Tory Burch had a white carryall with blue florals on it to go with its printed flowy skirt.
Givenchy’s oversized travel bag was rendered in red heritage print, a perfect match for the coordinating jacket and wrap skirt it was paired with.
Fringing and tassels are a way for you to have fun with your bag styles this fall. Making rounds on the runway, seemingly handcrafted-with-love bags made from woven or knitted yarns are finished with loose trailing fringe embellishments. A pastel yellow clutch bag covered in soft fuzzy fur at Bottega Veneta stood out with a long curtain of thick fluffy lobs.
At Givenchy, a crowd of white tassels sprouted from a snap clasp clutch.
A bag on the Fendi runway was knitted from thick grey yarns, and its shoulder strap featured loose shaggy fringing.
Micro bags are getting delightfully smaller and smaller – how do you ensure you don’t misplace one? Fall ‘20’s designers have a solution: turn them into keychains. Seen hanging off of bigger carryalls, secured onto belts, wristbands and necklaces, micro bags that can barely hold more than a single Tic Tac now serve as adorable little charms.
Max Mara’s furry brown receptacle had a smaller leather bucket bag and what looks to be a keychain of a metal water tumbler fitted with a sleeve tied to its strap.
A waistbelt’s function is not only to cinch the waist, but to hold several knick knacks such as a pen keychain and a teeny tiny foldover purse.
Mini top handle bags appeared to be another area of fascination designers shared for the FW ‘20 collections.
Prada had a collection of structured fold-over rectangular tote bags with a single stiff top handle, and they were all covered in different geometric prints.
At Ottolinger, quirky jello-like totes in bright colours featured colour-contrasting toy-like plastic chains.
Get a handle on this: wacky, outre materials were used in the making of fall ‘20’s coolest handbags.
Nehera looked to natural finishes, using raw wooden logs with sophisticated draped fabric (such as beige pink satin) tied through the drilled holes. The result was a unique number worthy of a cult following and an It-bag status.
Maison Margiela opted for bamboo-like round handles that were fitted atop its woven raffia trunk bag.
Creating interesting textures and tactiles seem to be at the top of the designers’ collective agendas for next season.
Much like the idea of the woven leather bag, which was one of spring 2020’s biggest bag trends, these bags feature complex interlacing of material to form braided textures.
Dior’s saddle bags were stitched together with a decorative blanket-like stitch finished with braids at the edges.
Quaint coin purses never fail to conjure an illusion of antiquated elegance. It’s like a treasured heirloom from the days of our grandmothers. Featuring a snap clasp and blown up slightly to a more magnified size, coin purse silhouettes showed up all over the runways.
Lanvin had a regal structured purse that was coated in metallic bronze and featured exquisite embroidery.
Moschino’s purses came with straps and covered in vibrant roses and an anime-style portrait of a lady.
The sporty shape of the bowling bag, which typically features two short top handles on either sides, a roomy interior and elongated sides, is back with a vengeance this fall.
Practical and ladylike, the bowling bag makes for a great contender when it comes to the perfect travelling bag.
Which is your favourite: Miu Miu’s reptile skin-embossed bowling bag, Chanel’s classy leather number, or Louis Vuitton’s structured half-moon shaped piece?
Chunky chain accents are not just ruling over the jewellery department, they’ve set their sights on handbags now too.
Oversized chain links were seen at JW Anderson as the main decorative hardware adorning the supple leather bags.
Dries Van Noten’s croc-embossed purses featured gold and silver chain straps decorated by massive ball bearings.