I Test-Drove the 3 Designer It Bags Everyone's Talking About

There's no doubt that the lineup of handbags for fall 2024 is made for people on the go. Whether they come in the form of supersize carryalls designed to hold a jam-packed day's worth of essentials or convertible clutches that offer three-plus ways to wear them, luxury handbags have never been better at mirroring our busy lives. Thankfully, we don't have to sacrifice function for fashion this season.

Yes, shoulder bags are still the leading silhouette, but the styles on offer range from petite and structured to oversize and roomy, so there's really something for everyone. Of course, deciding to invest in a designer bag is far from a casual affair with the endless parade of options in the market and the increasingly high price tags they come with. As a fashion editor, I consider it my duty to scrutinize everything from size and shape to versatility and function when recommending a luxury handbag, but today, I'm taking it one step further by lending the season's top three styles my personal review.

Here, discover my short list of the most-talked-about bags of fall 2024—the Saint Laurent Le 5 à 7 Shoulder Bag, Chloé Bracelet Hobo Bag, and Bottega Veneta Liberta Bag—complete with details on their fit and function and how much really fits inside each.

I won't beat around the bush: The Chloé Bracelet Hobo Bag is more than just a handbag, it's a complete work of art. The first handbag released under the creative direction of Chemena Kamali, it made its runway debut in the fall/winter 2024 collection during Paris Fashion Week and was one of several reasons why the collection went as viral as it did. The collection's wedge clogs worn by all the front-row attendees, including Sienna Miller, and the overall excitement that Kamali brought back to the Parisian house left many crediting her with singlehandedly igniting the great boho style renaissance. All that being said, the bag signifies much more than the materials it's made of. It's the origin of the new Chloé era and the marker of Kamali's already-successful tenure that we'll, no doubt, look back on as an iconic and pivotal moment in fashion history.

The soft, crescent-shaped bag may be the new take on a Chloé icon from the early 2000s, but the It girls taking the 2024 version for a spin are proving just how modern the hobo bracelet bag feels today: Kiernan Shipka wearing it as a crossbody sling while attending a premiere in Hollywood or Sienna Miller holding hers as a clutch outside of the Chloé show during Paris Fashion Week. As opposed to the ultra-structured shape of its archival counterpart, the bag embraces classic Chloé codes of ease, fluidity and “un-doneness” through its soft shape crafted from shiny-grained calfskin leather and is defined by a playful contrast between its moldable body and glossy, two-tone hardware.

While the significance of this bag lies in the context of the pivotal fall 2024 collection, its beauty lies in the details—mixed-metal hardware, horseshoe-inspired hooks, subtle brand-name embossing, and, of course, the statement ring handle. Many brands will claim that the addition of a crossbody or shoulder strap means that you're getting two bags in one, but Chloé takes this idea to another level entirely. The bracelet bag is one thing—unique, charming, artful—but if you remove the circular ring handle and replace it with the coordinating leather strap, you truly do have a brand-new handbag in front of you. It's available this season in signature Chloé tones like wood rose, clay brown, and black, but boho loyalists will especially delight in the studded and suede iterations.

What fits inside: The ultimate evening or smaller day bag, this fits just enough essentials to make it utterly practical while not being spacious enough to become too heavy to carry. I was able to comfortably fit a card case, my digital camera, a box of Altoids, hand sanitizer, compact mirror, and two lip glosses—in other words, my going-out starter pack—but I could easily have squeezed in a few more items wearing by swapping the ring handle for the shoulder strap.

Specs: shiny grained calfskin leather, two-tone metal hardware, 17.5- to 21.5-inch convertible strap, 1.6 pounds, hand, shoulder, and crossbody carry options, zip closure, interior wall pocket

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For a designer accessory to go viral and start to sell out, it often needs to have a novelty to it or be somehow controversial to get people talking, but the beauty of Saint Laurent's Le 5 à 7 Shoulder Bag lies in its practicality. The north-south tote bag features details like a wider shoulder strap, logo hardware closure, and luxe suede finish that make it the kind of bag you want to reach for on repeat. Perhaps that's why it's earned a coveted spot in the closets of the trendsetting celebrity set, including Hailey Bieber, Laura Harrier, Lila Moss, Bella Hadid, and Zoë Kravitz, just to name a few. Bieber and Harrier, for instance, wear theirs almost daily, whether it be heading to a Pilates class or out to dinner with friends. Though the classic colors like black and cream leather will always be smart buys, the chestnut- and olive-hued suede iterations are what Saint Laurent shoppers are narrowing in on, especially given the surge in popularity that suede bags are seeing this season. Simply put, it's a piece that fits in seamlessly with a quintessential fall wardrobe of denim and knits, which is why it's become the It bag insiders are reaching for the most.

I've been inundated with the suede bag trend for weeks on end now to the point where I can't open up my social feed anymore without seeing several of my follows styling one. It's not just me, though. Lyst confirmed that the suede trend has led to a 263% surge in searches for "suede", with "suede bags" seeing a 175% increase. In other words, the trend is spiking in popularity right now and while it may be experiencing a season in the spotlight, the Le 5 à 7 is ultimately as timeless a bag as they come. Sure, I thought suede bags were nice to look at, but taking the Saint Laurent style for a spin is what made me realize that the suede frenzy is, in fact, justified.

The overall silhouette is striking on its own, but take a closer look and you'll get to appreciate details like the brassy hardware that contrasts flawlessly with the warm tones of the suede, the buckle that adjusts the length of the shoulder strap, and my favorite element of the bag, the "YSL" clasp that serves as the bag's closure. The hardware itself felt substantial and weighty, making the somewhat minimalistic bag feel even more elevated and special.

What fits inside: I test-drove the larger size, which I was pleasantly surprised to find fit all my daily essentials for work and the weekend. Most excitingly, it fit my 13-inch MacBook Pro, although I did had to stand it up vertically. The tab closure didn't close on top of it, but any time I can skip an extra-plain canvas tote to carry my laptop in is a win in my book. During the workweek, I also managed to fit a paperback book, a zip-around wallet, sunglasses and eyeglasses cases, and other odds and ends like a few tubes of lipsticks, keys, and a lighter.

Specs: 11.8-inch strap drop, adjustable shoulder strap, bronze-toned hardware, leather-tab closure, suede lining, flat bottom, interior zip and wall pockets

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There are handbags, and then there are Bottega Veneta handbags. No matter the style, a leather creation affixed with the Italian brand's label exists in a category all its own. They're just something you have to experience IRL to truly understand because they're almost always more impressive in person than the are in photos, and that's especially true for the new Liberta Bag. If you ask me, any addition to the Bottega handbag family is worthy of front-page news, and I found that the latest introduction more than lives up to its hype.

In its winter 2024 collection, the brand released one new handbag, the Liberta, in addition to a number of updated iterations on the Hop, Andiamo, and Cabat styles. It's a fold-over clutch that's inspired by an archival style from the 1970s, and while beautiful on its own, it also comes with an interior strap for crossbody and shoulder possibilities. What differentiates it the most from past Bottega bags isn't what it is but rather what it isn't. The Liberta is notoriously lacking the signature intrecciato leather that has come to be synonymous with Bottega bags. Instead, it's defined by a smooth-leather fabrication that the brand says is carefully selected to feel as silky and soft as possible, a description I wholeheartedly agree with after taking it for a test-run myself.

I may be biased here, but a Bottega bag is the ultimate investment piece. I contemplated close to 10 designer bags last year when I was looking to make a larger bag purchase and ended up landing on the small-sized Andiamo in Barolo, which I've worn nearly daily for the last 12 months. All that is to say I've been impressed with Bottega's quality and craftsmanship and would gladly spend at the brand again because I know I'm getting a beautiful and long-lasting bag. When it comes to the Liberta, the craftsmanship that makes the bags so highly coveted comes through in something the brand calls "slow leather" which refers to the lengthy and time-consumptive leather treatment that cuts down on water usage, chrome waste, and tanning agents, among other factors, making it not only well-made bag but a conscious one, too.

Getting down to the specifics, it's all about one main detail: the woven closure that loops around a sculptural brass hook. The intrecciato weaving of the closure is a nod to Bottega's signature woven texture, and it contrasts nicely against the smooth leather, immediately drawing your eye there upon first glance. Inside, it's lined with suede that nicely contrasts the smooth calf leather of the exterior. I styled the medium size, but it also comes in a small size that would be ideal as an evening bag.

What fits inside: This would be a great day-to-night bag because it fits items like a journal, pair of sunglasses, and fold-over wallet in addition to smaller beauty products. It's not large enough to categorize as a work bag, but it would be ideal for weekdays when a laptop isn't needed. You can transition seamlessly into the evening by simply tucking the shoulder strap inside and wearing it as a clutch.

Specs: smooth calfskin leather, brass hardware, 21-inch shoulder strap drop, 1.2 pounds, interior zip pocket, suede lining

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