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 four-plus ways to wear them, luxury handbags have never been better at mirroring our ever-busier lives. Thankfully this season, we don’t have to sacrifice function for fashion.

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, what 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, 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 actually a 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 the many reasons why the collection went viral, including the wedge clogs worn by all the front-row attendees including Sienna Miller and the overall excitement that Kamali brought back to the Parisian house which left many heralding the great boho style renaissance. All in all, the bag signifies much more than the materials its made of. It’s the origins of the “new Chloé” era and the marker of Kamali’s already-successful tenure that we’ll no doubt look back on as an era as iconic as any of her predecessors.

While the significance of this bag lies in the context of the fall 2024 collection, its beauty lies in the details. Mixed-metal hardware. Horseshoe-inspired hooks. Subtle brand-name embossing. The singular large 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 remove the circular ring handle and replace it with the coordinating leather strap and you truly do have an entirely new handbag in front of you.

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.