Your Definitive Guide To Spring 2023’s Best Handbags

Make no mistake, a handbag is the proverbial cherry atop any great outfit. The design you choose — small or large, statement or sleek — has the power to transform or uplift the rest of your clothes. To really enhance one’s wardrobe, a full selection of purses, totes, and clutches is needed, and the Spring/Summer 2023 runway bag trends are a reflection of that fact. Designers aren’t simply honing in on a single silhouette or color, but instead, getting creative with options for all occasions.

For work, there are structured and sleek top handle bags. For nights out there are fuzzy clutches or flashy gold baguettes. And for day-to-day errand running, there are the comically oversized styles from the likes of Salvatore Ferragamo and Peter Do (because practicality doesn’t have to come at the price of fun). What makes this season’s best bag trends feel most interesting is that they’re created to enhance any sort of style. These designs don’t require you to change up your whole closet to put forth a fresh feeling.

On TikTok earlier this year the three-word method took off as a way to describe personal style. The process involves defining an outfit, mood, or overall look by choosing three different descriptors. With the sweeping variety of bags taking off this season, it’s easy enough to tailor your defining characteristics to fit whatever mood you’re in by simply using your bag as a jumping-off point. With Prada’s green handbag you can be colorful, cool, and sophisticated. With Loewe’s pillowy bag you might instead go for soft, simple, and comfortable. Simply pick your three words, and shop your spring bag accordingly.

Go For Green

No envy necessary. This spring, bags are popping up in a range of seasonal green hues. Often paired alongside neutral staples, an additional pop of invigorating emerald or mint has the power to shake off your winter blues and bring a new life to your wardrobe.

The Big Bag

Maximalists can sigh a breath of relief, the season’s bags have plenty of room for packing all your day-to-day staples. Take note that these are classic handbag silhouettes with oversized proportions (ie. they don’t feel like a weekender tote) to allow for maximum packing.

Touchable Texture

Try to resist running your hand through the soft shearling textures that appeared at some of the season’s biggest shows. The bags may not fit into the practical category when it comes to carryalls, but that’s just the point: Not all purses need to be entirely about function. With a fuzzy clutch in hand, you can embrace the aesthetic of fashion for fashion’s sake.

Heavy Metal

Get your shine on. This spring designers are giving evening-ready purses a sleek and shiny twist. Gold was a favorite with brands like Gabriela Hearst (a more minimal look) to Diesel (full on hot aughts), so consider taking your look to 24 karats.

To The Moon

Soft, rounded shapes have steadily made their way back into the trend cycle over the last few seasons, and the moon bag has become a favorite shape for houses across all four fashion capitals. The top-handled shape with a crescent body works both for evenings out and as a polished office bag.

Plush Like A Pillow

There were plush, squishy touches all over the catwalks, from typically quilt-heavy runways like Chanel, but also in more unexpected places, like Loewe and Sportmax. If you’re always working to strike a balance in your style, contrast these options with a sharp suit.

Back To Work

These bags mean business. Structured top-handle bags from some of fashion’s biggest names served as a reminder that an excellent work bag can make you feel powerful from the moment you grip it in your hand. These sleek, architectural carryalls fit the necessities (phone, wallet, keys), and may even have room for a commute read, too.