One of the key accessories for autumn comes courtesy of the new Chloé girl – the caped, platform-clog wearing protagonist peddling the boho dream of creative director Chemena Kamali, a woman who basically grew up at the brand and possesses some 700 precious pretty blouses. Central to her scallop-trimmed uniform is the bracelet bag: a croissant-shaped clutch that sits as a wristlet thanks to a large gold ring designed to be stacked with the otherworldly charms snaking up one’s arms. Sienna Miller, who witnessed Kamali’s new era of frills and flounce from the front row, is a fan. And well, that’s all you need to know.
But if the beloved British fashion plate’s stamp of approval isn’t enough to convince you to embrace the bangle bag, let the other hottest debut of the autumn/winter 2024 season reaffirm that decorative jewellery-clutch hybrids are a thing. At Alexander McQueen, incoming creative director Seán McGirr’s debut collection featured angular silver hardware on pretty-tough rings, buckles and bracelets which sometimes morphed into bags. All that sharp metal brought a coolness to the house’s signature knuckle-duster bags, which despite Sarah Burton’s best efforts, never became a thing. Inspired by club kids, ’90s British personalities – from Kate Moss to Amy Winehouse – and Lee McQueen’s The Birds line, the new accessories have a certain cultural caché to them already (welcome back, Camden girl!) As far as It-bags go, this might be the closest McQueen has got to that holy grail after Burton’s tenure skewed more royal than real.
The ’90s were on Stuart Vevers’s mind at Coach. The designer souped up the straps of his crowd-pleaser carry cases with nostalgic NYC souvenirs – from Big Apple key rings to yellow taxi cab trinkets and Statue of Liberty souvenirs. At Balenciaga, Demna also went down a rabbit warren of relics with his eBay-sourced invites containing keepsakes, but when it came to runway adornments, the creative director sent models along his AI-driven techscape with phones clipped to bangles that looked like the minimalist’s answer to String Tings. Prada debunked classic handbag straps by looping leather goods around short, chunky belts – a canny entry-level accessory and soon-to-be street-style gold for Pradaphiles who like to be “challenged” by Miuccia-isms.
The chicest bracelet bags came via Alaïa, where Pieter Mulier’s dinky bucket-shaped bags boasted giant gold rings that elevated them to objet territory. No doubt these will fly after the success of his narrow handbags, which hung off the arms of editors – and Irina Shayk – all show season. So too, Matthieu Blazy’s fresh iterations of his charming Sardine model at Bottega Veneta – bitter chocolate for us, please!
Of course, the concept of a fancy handbag that doubles up as jewellery is nothing new. Coco Chanel’s decorative shoulder straps were originally inspired by the tiny chains weighing down the hems of her suit jackets, and were created to give hands-free ease to a generation of women who had grown up carrying ladylike top-handle bags. There is nothing practical about Gabriela Hearst’s new palm-held versions of her signature Demis with their delicate chains. Nor Ulla Johnson’s pretty pouches that swing off the wearer’s wrist. But boy, do they look cute. Against a bleak economic and political landscape, the prospect of a multi-purpose accessory that fuses both bijoux and bag makes for a happier bank balance. And don’t we all need a little joy? For some, dopamine hits might come via nature. For us, it comes via a single gold fish diving off Bottega’s signature intrecciato weave. Happy jangling.
