Anne Hathaway and Dua Lipa Are in Agreement Over This Affordable Bag Trend
It's not every day that a bag trend comes around that won't send your savings back for at least a few months if not more. These days, buying a designer handbag is like putting a down payment on a house, especially if you're using celebrities, who tend to carry styles like the Hermès Kelly or The Row's Margaux, as inspiration. Fortunately, today is one of those rare days when the word "affordable" can accurately be used to describe a major celeb-backed bag trend. It's crazy, I know, but it's also true. And I'm here to tell you all about it.
If you haven't already guessed, I'm talking about the bag charms and accessories that A-listers are using to personalize their purses. The styling hack, which was originally made famous by French style icon Jane Birkin, can cost you next to nothing, but it'll make even your simplest tote feel special and unique every time.
Dua Lipa has been spotted with her customized Birkin bag on several occasions, most recently at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City after her recent trip to Capri, Italy. For the long flight, she wore a black sweatsuit and Puma sneakers, elevating the outfit with a black Birkin decorated with a silk scarf and various other colorful charms. Last year in November, the "Houdini" singer was seen carrying the same embellished bag on the streets of Manhattan, and earlier this year in March, it was spotted again at London's St. Pancras Station when Lipa traveled via Eurostar to Paris alongside her boyfriend, Callum Turner.
On Dua Lipa: Prada Leather Jacket With Belt ($8100); Puma Palermo Sneaker ($90); Hermès bag
On Dua Lipa: Puma Palermo Sneaker ($90); Hermès bag; Raf Simons coat; Supreme sunglasses
But Lipa isn't the only one to change up their bag with a few well-placed keychains, twillies, and more. Most recently, Anne Hathaway was photographed outside of a family dinner in NYC wearing the most elegant baby-blue set with black fishnet Alaïa flats and a Birkin of her own that she added a large Hermès horse charm to. During fashion month in February, dressed-up handbags were spotted in flux, with Livia Nunes Marques carrying a personalized Miu Miu bag and Leia Sfez wearing a scarf- and charm-embellished Kelly. Suffice to say, charms and accessories are *the* bag trend of the season, if not the year. And unless you go straight to the source and shop them from Hermès, getting in on the buzzy styling trick won't cost you anywhere near the price of a new purse.
Scroll down to shop the bag charms and accessories trend.
Wrap this minimalist striped scarf around the handle of your purse for an added cool-girl touch.
Trust me, everyone will be asking where you got your bag charm from.
Get one with your initial on it or the initial of someone you love.
You can use this as a bag strap or just clasp it onto one of your bag's existing straps for a touch of fun.
This pistachio-colored card holder is so simple, chic, and practical.
Everyone will think you're a fashion person if this heart-shaped Alaïa key ring is attached to the front of your handbag.
This is the perfect scarf choice if you want to wrap your bag's handle with silky goodness.
Eliza Huber is an NYC-based senior fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and the intersection of sports and fashion. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 from Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a business degree from the University of Iowa. She's launched two columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top runway trends each season. Eliza lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, watching WNBA games, and scouring The RealReal for discounted Prada.
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