The Bag. The Trends.
Subtle elegance, to me, dominated the top designers’ fashion shows for spring/summer 2024 as well as the handbags introduced. From streamlined to more casual, from extravagant, with jewelry decorations, to sometimes playful – here are the key bag styles for this season to come, whereof some of these shapes seem to be destined for cult classics.
Appropriately a few weaks ago, in a bookstore in Vienna, I came across ‘The Bag’, a tribute to this ultimate fashion accessory, written and illustrated by Megan Hess. Either the Baguette Bag from Fendi, Dior’s Lady Dior Bag, the Diana Bag from Gucci or Chanel’s Boy Bag – these bag designs respectively with their launches all these iconic fashion houses defined their brand identity and refill their DNA with year-to-year new interpretations of them.
So the motto ‘then and today’ also came to me as an idea to celebrate the new looks.
All my belongings
Ready for the day? – Leather totes overflowing with daily life things are one of the top bag trends this season. Whether at Bottega Veneta, Victoria Beckham, Miu Miu or Hermès, the slouchy bags are here to stay, supersized and maybe spring 2024 a bit more overstuffed. Apropos Hermès: That overspill trend is said to go back to the actor Jane Birkin’s often chaotic manner to stuff her namesake Birkin Bag.
Besides The Row’s Margeaux Bag celebrating the classic-meets-effortless shape, definitely my top favorite from New York Fashion Week was presented by the label Khaite with its adorable Lotus Bag. One of the most talked about American brands at the moment excites us with noble yet cool designs, unexpexted details and a high standard of quality.
Just such a good daily companion throughout the last years has become my shopper from Trussardi, the Milan brand I was responsible for as Business Development Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and whose expertise in leather and leather goods I valued. Laptop, high heels, magazine – everything has its space in it.
Slim and smart
With minimal envelope clutches brands like Chloé or Saint Laurent still gave the quiet luxury aesthetic its stage in their shows for this season. With its clean, streamlined shape this bag definitely refines your day and/or evening dressing.
One of the first clutches with cult status?
Without doubt the Gucci Romy Clutch designed by Frida Giannini. I perfectly remember this early 2010’s collection launched during my time at Gucci, my still hero from this season is from black patent leather with a gold-tone buckle detailing, as today trendy as then as buckles were everywhere on the runways.
For spring/summer 2024, the new Creative Director of the brand Tom Ford, Peter Hawkings, who followed its legendary founder as designer, created adorable clutches with exquisite croco-embossing. The must-have chicness for your outfit!
I’m a lady
Some designers as for 3.1 Philip Lim or Altuzarra also embraced extravagance and glam on their runways. Celebrating the lady chic, the top-handle bag thankfully has never falled out of fashion.
My timeless bag from Fendi, kept in elegant grey and beige tones, with beautiful water snake leather details, means an absolute highlight in my fashion universe and a real statement bag.
Let flowers bloom
No spring/summer fashion week without flowers. From printed to playful 3D, shown across fashion’s four main cities, this season’s gorgeous bag designs perfectly match the new romance style.
My preferred 3D-shape?
Burberry‘s sculptured Rose Clutch in a newly launched rich burgundy red, by the way the new black for 2024. Loving this true bijou accessoire!
And with one of my recent achievements namely from the Italian label Cromia, I carry another candy on my arm.
A beautiful floral print in different rose shades and black, golden metal details, these colors picked up again in the large links of an implied chain. The leather subtle and soft. Even with its Oasi Bag the brand convinces with femininity, extensive details and craftmanship.
With charm
Charm bracelets, charm bags – this season the one could be the other! Labels such as Loewe and Louis Vuitton are treating handbags as an extension of the(ir) jewelry category embracing beautiful gold or silver colored metal chains, whereas the bag itself is to be seen as the actual charm.
One of the key investigators of this trend was and is the house Givenchy.
Today with its gorgeous Voyou Bag in different sizes. In 2004, when I was on board, in a design in impressing red, an even this season styling color hit of giving your wardrobe a beautiful injection.
