Sorry, Bag Charms—These 7 Bag Trends Feel Dated in 2026
It’s said that you can tell a lot about a person based on the bag they carry. As a fashion writer, this saying rings exceptionally true, with the styles I see on strangers’ shoulders revealing everything I need to know about them.
For instance, the mammoth totes I spy carried by commuters on the Tube during the daily rush reveal their transporters to be pragmatists. The chintzy purses that casually line the tables of London’s latest buzzy small plates restaurant demonstrate their owners' vivacious approach to fashion. The boxy crossbody bags I see flung over a fur gilet certainly convey that someone has a penchant for the classics.
Although accessories are timeless for the most part, there are particular iterations that I’ve noticed make those wearing them look stuck in the past. So, what are these outdated bag trends of 2026, you ask? Thankfully, I’ve made it my mission while I’ve been out and about over the past few weeks to chronicle the cuts and materials that feel slightly past their prime to gauge what qualifies as an outdated bag trend.
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As the stringent journalist that I am, I’ve also cross-referenced the latest runways to note the silhouettes leading designers are backing for the year ahead and the shapes that are notably absent in their new-season collections.
And with countless luxuriates reviving beloved archival pieces—Michael Ryder bringing back the Phoebe Philo-era Phantom at Celine, Pierpaolo Piccioli updating the Le City bag at Balenciaga and Matthieu Blazy putting new spins on the Chanel 2.55, to name a few—it’s easy to get lost in the maze of what’s vintage and slightly antiquated.
From the styles I’ve noticed tasteful dressers in fashion capitals carrying to the once-viral must-haves they’re pausing en masse, uncover the 7 outdated bag trends of 2026 and the fresh shapes fashion’s chicest are carrying instead.
The 7 Bag Trends That are Considered Outdated in 2026
Passing On: Microscopic Purses
Wearing Instead: Ludicrously Capacious Totes
Style Notes: Long gone are the days of carrying around minuscule purses that would barely fit a pair of Apple AirPods. (Looking at you, Jacquemus Le Chiquito mini bag.) Whilst these Tinkerbell-sized accessories once served as a way to convey wealth, because what’s more luxurious than wearing an expensive bag that couldn’t hold anything, those looking to invest in designer accessories are actually gravitating to the other end of the spectrum. It might’ve been chastised by fictional billionaire Tom Wambsgans in the final series of Succession, but ludicrously capacious totes are currently all the rage. Call this an act of life imitating art, but those with taste are now turning to bags so big that they could double as a carry-all, like The Row’s Margaux and Celine’s New Luggage.
