The most wanted accessories of the season

Toujours Bag, Dior

Credit: Dior

1/11

While there’s no official word on this, we’ve a hunch about how Dior landed on the name of its newest essential, Toujours – French for “always”. A generously roomy East‐West tote regardless of whether it’s in S, M or L, this buttery soft, Macrocannage‐patterned calfskin design has straps on each side that when clasped together create an enclosed, more duffle‐like shape for an alternative look. Add how its handles can be adjusted so that they can be held in hand (more ladylike) or slung on the shoulder (more casual), and you’ve got a bag so versatile, it will pretty much never fail.

Chanel 31 Bag, Chanel

Credit: Chanel

2/11

Inspired by an archival design from 1967 and last seen on the brand’s Fall Winter 2018 runway, the Chanel 31 has always been the fashion girl’s clever answer to an all-occasion handbag. Shaped like a slim shopping bag with built-in framed handles, it works as a tote with a distinctively French chic flair; a quirky yet sophisticated shoulder bag with its long double straps that can be tucked inside neatly; and a slick envelope clutch when folded in half. Not as ubiquitous as its high-profile siblings in the Chanel bag catalogue, its IYKYK status only adds to its appeal. Now, it’s back as part of the 2022/23 Metiers d’Art Chanel-Dakar collection in a never-before-seen mini size and bi-colour patent leather, which makes it even more slay.

Toile Plates, Tiffany & Co.

Credit: Tiffany & Co.

3/11

In New York’s high society circle, Lauren Santo Domingo is like the mother of chic. A former fashion editor turned co‐founder and chief brand officer of Moda Operandi who’s married to Colombian-American billionaire businessman Andres Santo Domingo, her impeccable style – elegant, modern, flirtatious and statement‐making without being extra – is the real deal #oldmoneyaesthetic. So when her debut collection as the artistic director of Tiffany & Co’s home category – an appointment announced this March – launches, you know it’s going to sell out. Pictured here are pieces from Toile, the most playful of at least six new ranges of tableware she has introduced to the jewellery house.

Mary-Kate Tote, Balenciaga

Credit: Balenciaga

4/11

This is the Mary-Kate, a capacious leather tote with a distinctive convex shape and embossed (read: more subtle) logo debuting as part of Balenciaga’s Fall 2023 collection. Could it be a tribute to the Olsen twin – an icon of quiet luxury and a steady defender of the jumbo-sized bag – who was once snapped nonchalantly carrying a green Balenciaga City bag so stained and battered, it cemented her as a queen of DGAF cool? Many would double-tap that.

Valentino Garavani Rockstud Flats, Valentino

Credit: Valentino

5/11

The meeting of balletcore and punk in these Valentino Garavani Rockstud ballerina shoes – part of Valentino’s rambunctious, Florence Pugh‐fronted rejuvenation of its signature pyramid‐shaped stud motif – is simply on point.

Codes Couleur Collection, Chanel

Credit: Chanel

6/11

When colour in the world of beauty doesn’t just apply to makeup: Chanel’s limited‐edition Codes Couleur collection comprises nail filles, compact mirrors and brush sets (each with a brush for blusher, one for eyeshadow and one for foundation) in nine oh‐so‐pretty hues. Fans of the brand’s Le Vernis nail colour range would recognise the shades – they include the light pink ballerina, sage green Cavalier Seul and trendy lilac Immortelle – that add that personal pick‐me‐up to one’s cosmetic kit. Why didn’t anyone think of this earlier?

Ava Triomphe Bag, Celine

Credit: Celine

7/11

With an additional flap adorned with gold hardware in the shape of the elegant Triomphe motif, Celine’s Ava Triomphe is the more grown‐up and boujee sister of the brand’s trendy Ava handbag – and possibly even hotter.

Olympe Bracelet, Hermes

Credit: Hermes

8/11

We predict the great Gen Z co-opt of the bracelet stack – an easy DIY look to signal one’s personality last popularised by millennial street-style stars in the 2010s. A foolproof way to start with one of Hermes’s metal and leather Olympe bracelets – a chic and timeless staple inspired by a 1970s design and recognised by its H-shaped cut-out in the centre – that now come in Epsom calfskin in M&M hues like lemon yellow and robin’s egg blue.

Horsebit 1955 Bag, Gucci

Credit: Gucci

9/11

For those who like their bags with not just a vintage aesthetic, but also some history: The Horsebit 1955 from Gucci dates back to the ’50s, when the Italian label first introduced the double-ring-and-bar motif it adopted from equestrian equipment onto a bag. Fast forward to present times, when the style had largely faded into obscurity until the house revived it in the Cruise 2020 season, re-establishing it as a signature with options spanning a smart saddle-style shoulder bag to a ladylike top handle. This year alone, its campaign stars have included the 18-year-old Hanni of New]eans and the 23-year-old Halle Bailey, which only hints at how it’s likely to stick around for even more.

Arque Bag, Prada

Credit: Prada

10/11

The next big name that’s going to perpetuate the fever for crescent‐shaped bags: Prada’s Arque, an all‐leather number with an extra‐curvy base, the brand’s iconic triangle logo, and a strap that can be extended so that it can also be worn as a cute cross‐body bag.

Rose Des Vents Tribales Earrings, Dior

Credit: Dior

11/11

Rose des Vents is Dior’s pretty, perfect-for-every-day fine jewellery line that pays tribute to Christian Dior’s belief in lucky stars with its disc-shaped pendants in a variety of precious stones adorned with an eight-sided, diamond-studded star. Tribales, meanwhile, is the mason’s popular earring style made up of two different-sized studs on each side that can be mixed and matched for multiple styling options. Rose des Vents Tribales – as you might have guessed – is the ingenious marriage of the two, designed to be worn alone or in a pair; matching or otherwise.

This article first appeared in the July 2023 Graphic Design Edition of FEMALE.