Compared to the wave of house debuts for spring/summer, the fall/winter 2026 season was business as usual—sort of. There were only a handful of inaugural outings this time round, but sophomore shows from those appointed last season brought plenty of ideas to the fore, including an abundance of ready-to-wear and bag trends.
The Key Fall 2026 Handbag Trends to Shop Now:
Pieter Mulier focused on the former in his last show for Alaïa after a five-year stint, which Vogue’s Sarah Mower described as “quiet perfectionism”. “It’s just really clothes for real people, not for an image,” Mulier said. “To reduce, reduce. No bags, no jewelry. Only beauty and clothes and a naked shoe. Because that’s what Azzedine was.”
Yet, during his tenure, Mulier delivered a number of It-bags, the most recent being his Le Teckel— meaning “sausage dog” in French, for its slimline shape—which will hold its value far beyond his departure. In fact, he could be credited for influencing the current streamlined, top-handle bag trend, the east-west—designed with the same tuck-under-your-arm spirit as the Le Teckel – which was present across the recent runway shows.
Top handles in various iterations, including this popular east-west shape, acted at props for the 15 models cast at Prada, each of whom wore four layered looks that transformed as they walked the runway. Elsewhere, the intentionally undone Amazona 18 bag, introduced at Loewe by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, was back once again in a swathe of new colourways and finishes.
Chanel also went bold with bags this season, exhibiting everything from supersized shoulder bags and siren-red croc-embossed companions to delicately-embroidered flap bags. The mood purveyed by Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent, however, was quite the opposite; delivered in the form of skinny envelopes clasped by models on his carpeted runway. These clutch wallets accompanied Vaccarello’s step-and-repeat of suits that comprised the opening eight looks–a nod to the 60th anniversary of the Le Smoking, one of the house’s most revolutionary contributions to the industry.
Here, Vogue brings three standout trends from the collections that are worthy of shopping right now.
Photo: Courtesy of Miu Miu, Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Toteme and Dior
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