I Consulted the Experts—We Agree This Surprising Bag Trend Will Be the Next Big Thing

Ever since Matthew Macfadyen’s cunning interloper character Tom Wambsgans introduced the conception of a “ludicrously capacous” bag in the final season of HBO’s Succession, fashion insiders have been embracing the merits of an oversized tote bag more than ever before. Inherently cavernous and celebrity-approved—you only need to look at Jacob Elordi’s hoards of oversized intrecciato leather Bottega Veneta carry-alls for proof of the shape’s popularity—these supersized utilitarian accessories have become a sigil of the effortlessly elegant aesthetic that’s currently reigning supreme.

However, for 2026, a more specific mode is emerging in the way that a certain occupation is inspiring the trendiest silhouette. Not secretarial top-handles or bourgeois lawyerly briefcases, but a doctor’s bag.

When I first heard murmurs about the rise of the doctor’s bag trend, an image of an incredibly clinical design sporting medical devices like stethoscopes, thermometers and that incredibly silly reflex hammer that hits your knee sprang to mind. After first spying this trend in cult pre-loved fashion platform The RealReal’s annual luxury resale report, I couldn’t really comprehend exactly the style that they were outlining as the next big thing. Was the data really telling us to carry something that Meredith Grey or Nurse Ratched would wear to work? Not quite.

What is the Doctor's Bag Trend?

Speaking to Noelle Sciacca, associate director of fashion and strategic partnerships at The RealReal about the trend, she explains that doctor’s bags are “a structured style with a true rectangle shape and usually include a zipper closure and shorter double strap handles”. Certainly less sterile and far more sophisticated than I had pictured. Speaking with Sciacca, she told me that the doctor’s bag shape is the common thread that ties some of the most popular rising styles together, with “average selling prices and searches up 25% and 24% this year, respectively”.

In a world where wellness culture prevails—the industry is reported to hit USD $9 trillion by 2028—it’s fitting that a style with medicinal origins soars to an all-time high demand. If you look at the designers who are pioneering this trend, you’ll also notice this is a notion they’ve mined for a while now.

“I credit the release of Miu Miu’s Beau bag with sparking the doctor bag resurgence,” says . “The brand has a knack for presenting accessories in ways that create viral demand for specific styles,” she continues.

However, even long before the spring/summer 2023 collection that delivered us the bag, Miuccia Prada had been exploring the concept of uniform dressing through the codes of healthcare.

For instance, Prada’s autumn/winter 2023 show, which was aptly titled ‘Take Care’, saw nurses’ skirts flipped into something visually poetic thanks to the addition of embellished rosettes.

Though I’m not suggesting that the wearers of this trend are necessarily consciously subverting the GP dress code, I can’t help but draw parallels between the doctor’s bag rise and the post-pandemic world that we live in today. After all, aren’t we more hygiene-conscious than ever?

Especially as someone who lives in London, I find the trend the perfect touch for someone who spends their day methodically washing their hands after commuting on the underground or taking regular gut shots to ensure their immunity is boosted to max capacity. So, if I can have a bag that not only nods to that, but also encourages it in an incredibly chic way, why wouldn’t I take it?

So, without further ado, keep scrolling through for the best doctor's bags to shop now without having to take the hypocritical oath.

Shop the Doctor's Bag Trend

How to Style the Doctor's Bag Trend

Now that you have your doctor's bag sorted, it's not expected that you have to walk around town wearing it with a matching stark white lab coat or candy-stripe uniform. Instead, the outfits that proponents of the trend are wearing are actually embrace the more austere motifs associated with the bag's origins. Take Kendall Jenner, for instance.

For an appearance at The Row's Paris Fashion Week runway show back in 2023, the reality star and supermodel sported the brand's famed Margaux bag, a cropped trench coat and tailored pencil skirt which evokes the pure lines and clean palette associated with the trend.

Sciacca tells me that the Margaux style itself is also one of the most prominent examples of the doctor's bag trend. "Whilst the style isn’t particularly new, it reached peak popularity the last few years, even selling for 108% above its original retail price on The RealReal," she notes. "It sparked a renewed desire for top-handle bags in clean, streamlined silhouettes."

This softer shape also appeared in the Olsen Twins' recent Spring 2025 collection, as seen on Italian model Mariacarla Boscono alongside a lace-trim silk skirt, pinstripe shirt, cashmere knit and mesh boots.

Elsewhere in London, content creator Marilyn Nwawulor-Kazemaks sported her doctor's bag with a more contemporary outfit, including an on-trend windbreaker, barrel-leg trousers, flannel shirt and retro suede trainers.

Of course, you can also throw caution to the wind and take a page from Sydney-based influencer and writer Ali Whittle's wardrobe. These glittery mesh flats might be a violation for the operating room and you certainly wont see them allowed in any surgery, but given the bag's more architectural shape, the juxtaposition between the silhouettes feels right to bring a sense of individuality to a more sombre bag.

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