These Are The Biggest Bag Trends Of Fall 2023

Maybe Carrie Bradshaw is wearing a pigeon bag this fall—as seen on And Just Like That... recently—but not even New York’s most famous fashionista is going to make avian accessories trend. (The formerly sold-out and still-viral $890 JW Anderson clutch in question is back in stock now, though, if you’re curious.)

Instead, fall’s biggest bag trends are less eccentric, but just as likely to be spotted on the streets of New York City as an actual pigeon—and getting significantly more looks of adoration than a purse shaped like one. While not as unusual, the bags we’ll be seeing everywhere in the coming month are still freaky, in their own ways.

There’s Gucci’s horsebit-chain shoulder bag—a design first seen during the Tom Ford era, meant to be held close to your chest like a sexy secret. Louis Vuitton’s Go-14 top-handle bag was practically made for those “What’s in your bag?” videos, with enough space in its pillowy interior to carry around your entire life and then some. And of course there are the bags like those seen on the runway at Ferragamo, quite literally larger than life. If you want to get really weird, though, we’d recommend investing in the Puppets and Puppets banana-handle leather hobo bag, the fruit-flavored follow up to the brand’s popular cookie bag.

Related article: The Seven Bag Trends To Know For Fall/Winter 2019

Read on for the seven biggest bag trends of fall 2023.

Fall 2023 Trend: Elongated Bags With Edge

Carrying a tiny micro bag with a singular pinky is dainty, feminine, and adorable. But carrying a large elongated bag perched in the crook of your elbow or clutched tight against your heart sends an entirely different message.

Toting your accessories around in a bite-size package is a flex that demonstrates how you don’t really need to lug anything around. But honestly, maybe opting for an elongated bag instead is more worthy of a brag. Carrying Miu Miu’s popular Arcadie or Gucci’s hot horsebit shows the world you have baggage, and you’re not afraid to take it with you everywhere you go.

Photo: Gucci

Photo: Loewe

Photo: Bottega Veneta

Photo: Miu Miu

Photo: Valentino

Photo: The Row

Fall 2023 Trend: Oversize Bags That Are Larger Than Life

If an elongated bag isn’t big enough, consider the extremely large bags that have taken over the runway for the past couple of seasons. In February, models at Loewe, Ferragamo, and Coach carried bags so large, they sometimes touched the runway itself.

Carrying around an oversize bag is the easiest way to look like an Olsen twin, and the reason Mary-Kate and Ashley likely love the look is that it adds instant mystique. People will look at you and wonder, Why exactly does she need a bag that large? And who doesn’t like the thought of a look that truly piques others’ interest, even if all you’re carting around is a small wallet and a lip tint (although the most Olsen thing to do would be to stuff the bag to the brim and then spill some wine on it).

Photo: The Row

Photo: Saint Laurent

Photo: Ferragamo

Photo: Loewe

Photo: Khaite

Photo: Métier

Fall 2023 Trend: Top-Handle Bags That Mean Business

There’s something undeniably powerful about having a firm grip on a really good top-handle bag. At its core, it’s a look that means business. But unlike a bag that you throw over your shoulder or chest, there’s more intention to a top-handle bag—you have to be determined to really hold it.

Louis Vuitton’s Go-14 makes that easy to want to do, with a classic design reminiscent of the quilted patterns of the maison’s historic trunks. The silhouette was seen elsewhere as well, like at Chanel, rendered in all tweed, or at Puppets and Puppets with a fruity spin.

Photo: Louis Vuitton

Photo: Puppets & Puppets

Photo: Chanel

Photo: Self Portrait

Photo: Prada

Photo: Dior

Fall 2023 Trend: Circular Treasures

While plenty of fall’s biggest bag trends are angular, one of them is softer around the edges. At Simone Rocha and Bottega Veneta, models could be seen with egg bags, either braided with leather or crafted to look like a freshly picked oversize pearl. They’re whimsical bags that feel less like an accessory and more like a magical find from a fairy tale.

Photo: The Row

Photo: Simone Rocha

Photo: Jacquemus

Photo: Bottega Veneta

Photo: Chanel

Photo: Telfar

Fall 2023 Trend: Bucket Bags Made With Childlike Wonder

Nothing can ever beat the nostalgia of a beach memory from childhood, the ocean wetting your toes as you sway a bucket and pail along the sand. But there’s something about swinging around a bucket bag in your adulthood that vaguely awakens that childlike joy.

The bag’s shape feels like an invite to just toss trinkets into its depths, welcoming you to carry a collection of things you want instead of things you need. And it’s hard not to feel the need to impulse-buy luxe bucket bags crafted by the likes of Bottega Veneta, Alaïa, and Hermès.

Photo: Celine

Photo: Alaïa

Photo: Bottega Veneta

Photo: Khaite

Photo: Tory Burch

NORDSTROMSAKS FIFTH AVENUE

Fall 2023 Trend: Bags As Slouchy As Your Favourite Pair of Jeans

The only thing better than the slouchy sensation of an oversize pair of jeans is an outfit that matches its energy exactly. Bags at the Row, Loewe, and Burberry looked like crumpled bags made of luxurious leather, scrunched with an ease that makes them a dream to carry under your arm. If most purses feel too structured for you, this silhouette is your solution to an effortless accessory that’s as cool as a vintage pair of worn-in Levi’s 501s.

Photo: The Row

Photo: Loewe

Photo: Margiela

Photo: Reformation

Fall 2023 Trend: ’90s Simplicity

It feels hard to remember a time when the ’90s weren’t trending, but the general public’s obsession with the decade shows no signs of slowing down. And the real key to looking like Chloë Sevigny or Angelina Jolie in the ’00s isn't just a head of tousled hair or a torso covered in leather, but a bag that’s simple, subtle, and—most importantly—sexy.

Prada’s reedition 1995 brushed-leather bag achieves this perfectly. As does Ralph Lauren’s RL 888. They’re like sublimely packaged time capsules that quite literally put the ’90s in your grasp.

Photo: Prada

Photo: Proenza

Photo: Ferragamo

Photo: Toteme

This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US.