The Top 10 Handbags of FW26 (You’ll See Everywhere) ft. Chanel, Dior, Celine, Hermes, The Row & more

Hey guys, thank you so much for joining me in another video. So today I thought it would be fun to go through the fall winter 2026 handbags that were on the latest runway. There are quite a few interesting things happening right now. We're seeing some new silhouettes, new proportions, specific materials coming forward, and I think an overall shift in how a lot of these bags are being worn. Keep in mind these collections, this was from fall winter 2026, so we'll see these bags start to hit the stores in about like five to six months. If you like to just follow handbags like me, or if you're someone who maybe likes to think about what your next potential bag could be, you like to plan ahead, or maybe some of these styles already exist in your closet, I feel like seeing these bags in advance, it gives you a good preview of what is to come. It's just fun to see these noticeable shifts, as well as of course a lot of these new designer debuts. So one silhouette that I thought showed up repeatedly this season was this trapezoidal shape, but instead of it being a top handle like trapezoidal bag, it's more like a shoulder bag. So imagine a bag that it's wider at the bottom, tapers at the top, it almost leans triangular in shape. To me the closest historical bag that I think we all know of is the Hermes Kelly, but I think what makes these bags that we're seeing on the runway a little bit different is they're designed to sit on the shoulder rather than being mainly top handle bags. Like if I think about like the classic Hermes Kelly, of course they've done other iterations, but you see how the straps are on the sides and create a little bit more width. I thought this was very clear at Gucci where several of these bags had the silhouette paired with the bamboo details, the bamboo effect handle, the bamboo lock. Again the shape feels quite architectural, very different I think from what we've seen Demna do in the past. Also what's noteworthy is the profiles on these bags, they're slimmer. They sit at least a little bit closer to the body than compared to if I think of say like a Boston bag or like a Louis Vuitton Speedy. These feel a little bit more streamlined, they sit a little bit closer to the body, but I still think they can function as like great everyday bags. Another example of this in a different kind of way with that trapezoidal structure is the Givenchy, that pinch bag created by Sarah Burton. This one though it's more designed, it looks like it would fit more on the crook of the arm, but I think again the placement of the handle instead of it being more so in the center as like a top handle sort of bag, we see that triangular shape with the handle sitting towards the edge of the bag. So again emphasizing that sort of triangular shape. I am also reminded of bags from the Phoebe Philo era at Celine or Phoebe Philo's recent drive bag. Think of this shape as it can feel a little bit more prim and proper, more ladylike, but it's that shoulder strap modernizes it. I think it can be worn in more of a casual relaxed way. We're also seeing I think this return to 90s bag proportions, that's another thing. Fendi of course we saw Maria Grazia Chiuri's debut, the Fendi baguette was featured heavily, but this time with longer straps. So that bag originally launched in 1997 and she was involved in the creation of this bag for fall winter 2026. We're seeing longer straps so it could fit lower on the shoulder. At Gucci under Ademna, we saw bags clearly referencing this Tom Ford era when he was at the brand in the 90s, early 2000s, that like very structured glossy look. Meanwhile at Jill Sanders Simone Bellotti, I definitely feel like we're seeing a lot of this kind of 90s sheen in some of these bags, like a finish that you would think of Prada or something that kind of like 90s style. Even these structured little shopping totes have come back. Of course one of the it bags of 2026 so far is the Chanel surf executive tote. We saw this with Mathieu Blaise's debut collection or the shopping tote, whatever they're calling this bag. But again this was a bag from the early 2000s, but to me this bag feels like belongs to that kind of 90s structured tote category. Think again like Prada, the 1995 bag, the Kate Spade sandbag, that bag came out in like 93. We're seeing these kinds of styles on the runway at Chanel in new colors, but I also think what Chanel has done is I think the straps are a little bit longer. There is just a little bit more clearance on these straps than like the older versions. Magda Butrem, we saw several shopping totes that felt of this era as well. Another style of bag that stood out to me were these extremely flat bags. Like at Tom Ford, there was this bag that looked like it was almost like this metal framed portfolio. Like if your everyday carry is basically like a laptop or like a folder and documents, this could actually be a really chic bag for you. It has I think that severity that Heider Ackerman does so well that I also think works at Tom Ford. At Celine, Michael Ryder has also been leaning heavily into this flat silhouette. Of course, we saw these bags from his debut collection. We're also seeing some like other flat styles on the runway. And again, when I think of these bags, they're very purpose-driven, like perfect if you just want a bag for this specific intention, something slim for documents or a laptop or those types of essentials that you need on the everyday. Like it's more of a specific purpose bag. This isn't that kind of throw your life in kind of bag. Even Dior had the slimmer bag that resembled a Bottega Andiamo, but it feels slimmer. Like it's nowhere near as bulky as the Dior Book Tote. Another interesting interpretation I think also came from Chanel with this thin circular flat bag. The design I think combines this curved leather strap and a chain creating this circular silhouette. It actually reminded me of Karl Lagerfeld's famous Chanel hula hoop, but slimmer and looks more in line with I think of the Mathieu Blaise style. Like it's not so literal and cartoonish. Alongside flat bags, I also think we're seeing a resurgence of very slim clutches. What's interesting to me is these are not necessarily evening bags either. You could wear these casually, just popping in and out during the day. Some are offered with an optional strap or handle. Tom Ford had a few of these at Saint Laurent, which is a brand that hasn't really emphasized wearing a whole lot of bags or accessories on the runway. They featured a lot of these little tiny, they almost look like card holders or slim wallets, small leather goods, which is interesting to see from Saint Laurent. The Row showed a lot of these beautiful flat leather clutches that were styled with like these simple knits, these turtlenecks, like just really nice premium essentials that you could wear with a clutch like this. Like it's not necessarily meant to be a clutch that you wear in a formal way or like a super high fashion way. This is a daily clutch. We also saw at the Row these notebooks carried on the runway. We also saw this done at Hermes. But again, we're also seeing on the runway these leather goods that I think serve more of a specific purpose than like a carry-all. We also see that as well, but again, we're seeing more specific purpose bags. Another major material that we've seen on the runway, it's a really timeless material, and I'm talking about croc and maw croc, but it was almost everywhere on the runway this season at Chanel. Of course, this is something they're really pushing with Mathieu Blazy, this croc effect, croc illusion. It's, I think, becoming a defining material of the Mathieu Blazy era. And I know you can get like croc and like alligator in different finishes, but it's more of like this kind of shiny, like it has like a finish or like a patent finish on it. Seeing that in the bags and in the shoes, especially heavily on like the shoes and accessories. We also saw croc embossing at Prada. I think this Gucci bag, I think this could be real croc. I don't know. I do know Gucci does do real exotics versus Chanel. They've stopped that entirely. Kate, for the past several seasons, has been pushing real croc, real exotics. She also does python embossing as well. Croc is a big theme this season. If you prefer the real thing, Bottega Veneta, Dior, you know, they're still producing exotic skins. Of course, Hermes does this. At Celine, we saw this very visible East West 16 bag that was in this croc. Now, when it came to colors, I thought there was a lot of black for some collections. I thought we saw a lot of neutrals, but then there were these moments of color. Certain designers had like certain color schemes, but we did see certain patterns at like various brands. I think this mint green is something, again, going back to Chanel with this bag, this kind of mint green we're seeing at other brands as well. At Jill Sander, Fendi, Moschino. The way Simone Bellotti styled this color, like, again, if you like the cockies, the more like muddy tones, the trench tones, I think he showed how you could style it with those rays and beiges and browns and kind of just add a little bit more intrigue to an outfit that I think feels quite unexpected. Or, of course, you could go in like the Matthew Blessey direction and wear it with like a bright pop of red. Hermes had this different kind of pistachio tone. I thought there were a variety of different greens we saw. Another shade was this military green, this military vibe we saw at certain brands. At Chloe, there was this Chloe Paddington, and it had this two-tone with this brown leather trim. The similar two-tone utility styles at Hermes. Fendi also showed a baguette with this military surplus kind of look to it. At Dior, we actually saw a full palette of various greens. Brighter greens to olive greens, this fun frog bag, the beautiful greens you would see in a pond. Like, think Monet, water lilies, that lotus theme that they had. Beautiful assortment of different greens. And then there was also this very striking 80s purple that I think we saw last season as well as this season. Céline has been really looking at the 80s. Think of Prince. We saw this at Céline in terms of the bags and the ready to wear. Loewe as well. Balenciaga has this new bag where they have this double B logo. Kind of looks like a butterfly and has this curved flap detail. So yeah, there's that. Mugler, we also saw this color featured. A little bit more, like, bluish in tone. But again, that 80s purple. Think, like, Prince. Another theme that I think we've just been seeing last season as well as this season is, I think, a noticeable rise in bags that I would describe as unisex. Bags that appeal to both men and women. And most notably, Chanel has been moving in this direction. I also think, of course, the fashion, the silhouettes. There is this masculine, feminine theme that they're going with. These more substantial, boxier silhouettes. And of course, we've seen flat bags stripped back. They've styled on their male ambassadors. Also, the supermodel weekender bag. Whatever the new name of that bag is. At Bottega, we also saw larger structured bags. Again, paired with the stronger shoulders. Lots of layering. I think of, like, the Barbara's kind of speaking to that style as well. While on one side, we're seeing bags move in a slimmer silhouette, on the womanswear side, I think we're seeing these quite structured, boxier, wider, thicker bags make an appeal to, I think, I don't just want to say men, but I think if you have more of, like, a unisex, you just like the kind of boxier look, right? Again, another designer I think of that is doing this is Demna. I've seen a lot of guys wear Demna's Gucci since he's joined the brand, and I feel it's been a while since I feel like I've seen men be interested in this brand. They definitely are making an appeal to that. Another style of bag, Celine, has this quite, I think, exaggerated crescent style. Celine has done a lot of these bags in the past, really since, like, the Ava. But this bold, moon-shaped style under Michael Ryder. Chanel also featured a lot of these crescent styles. Dries Van Noon also presented these beautiful, embellished, crescent-shaped, moon-shaped bags. And another thing I also wanted to talk about were straps. I think this season, we're seeing two extremes. They're either very thin or very wide. At Dior, we saw these wide messenger straps paired with these long, flat bags. Very unique, especially in these wool knitted sweater materials. Coach also presented messenger bags with that kind of thicker strap and these elongated flaps, which felt more casual, more unisex. Meanwhile, Chanel, Fendi, Miu Miu also presented longer shoulder drops. Finally, I thought we saw some interesting approaches to iridescent and pearlescent finishes. At Chanel, there was this 1950s style pearlescent bag. They also had a series of these pastel-y, iridescent, east-west sort of, like, tubular styles. These colors just felt like on that runway. There was this very millennial, tumbler, pastel vibe. The fact that they also played, like, Lady Gaga. There were bags that made me think of that, but it also felt like an appeal to how Virginie, during her time, she had a lot of these kind of pretty pastel, sometimes iridescent, like these unicorn bags. It felt like an appeal to that. And Loewe also showed these faceted, gemstone-like clutches. These bags look like these unearthed crystals, but they were clutches. So yeah, those were the 10 themes that I took note of. I would love to know, were there any styles that spoke to you? Let me know down below. That's my video for today. Thank you so much for joining me, and I hope to see you in the next one. Bye!