Photo:
Launchmetrics Spotlight/Miu Miu; @sobalera; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Victoria Beckham; Launchmetrics Spotlight/David Koma
It’s official: We’ve reached the point of the year when we watch the clock count down to the final moments of 2023. While some might be solely focused on what the future holds for them in the coming year, it’s not a bad idea to take a moment to reminisce. Sure, it’s more exciting to think about opening a new chapter in our lives—whether that looks like plans to travel more, adopt new trends, get back into a workout routine, or update your beauty regime. Being able to look back can also help us navigate how we want to move forward into the future, even if what we’re mulling over is something as “frivolous” as the fashion trends that defined the year. After all, there’s no better time capsule for what has happened in the culture than the trends that have found their way into our closets!
Our clothing can tell us everything we need to know about how things have changed over time; therefore, taking a moment to take stock is a worthwhile use of time in the last moments of the year. Of course, there are many things one can look back to as indicators of what happened this year (e.g., celebrity style, television shows, viral runway looks), but none in our minds quite encapsulate time like accessories. Hear us out. Not every trend can translate from the runway to our real lives, but bags? That’s a different story.
Although the influence of this accessory may seem small compared to the larger ready-to-wear trends, that’s far from the truth. On a grander scale, handbags have always acted as an entry point into the luxury space for many who might not always be able to access it otherwise. Plus, the shapes, sizes, and specs of trending bags speak to larger cultural sentiments of the time. It’s not a stretch to say that popular handbags carry more weight to them than one might think. To prove that point, we dug through the archives of spring/summer 2023 and fall/winter 2023 runway collections to identify the biggest handbag trends of the year. To ensure each trend carries the influence we claim, we cross-referenced them with street style imagery from Instagram to ensure that each of the seven trends listed is popular. Rest assured, you’ll see everyone carrying these bag trends for the rest of the winter.