A baguette bag, a boxy tote, a rectangular crossbody — these are and will remain classics for a reason. But we’re seeing a trend toward the surprising and unconventional when it comes to accessories (and their shapes).
In 2022, searches for Prada’s triangle bag were up 81% YOY on ShopStyle, making it one of the platform’s “closet all-stars” of the year; crescent shoulder bags were also highlighted as one of the “stand-out silhouettes” of the past 12 months.
This was also made abundantly clear off the internet, in street style: Across fashion weeks, people couldn’t get enough of these unexpected shapes, as well as other novelty accessories, from JW Anderson’s mini cap clutches, to MSGM’s T-shirt totes, to Thom Browne’s classic Hector bag. And designers keep feeding the demand with their new collections (see: the Spring 2023 accessories carbo-load at New York Fashion Week).
Speaking of Jonathan Anderson, the designer had the internet in a tizzy with his brand’s pigeon clutch, introduced as part of the Fall 2022 menswear collection. A few months later, when Sarah Jessica Parker was photographed with it on the set of “And Just Like That…”, interest in the 3-D bag increased 488% on Lyst, the platform revealed in its Year in Fashion report for 2022.
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The beauty of these novelty-shape bags is that you can go as subtle or as irreverent as you want: You could swap your go-to carry-all for a minimal triangular tote or commit to eccentricity with a heart clutch or wavy-bottomed crossbody. Have some fun with your accessorizing in 2023 and shop our favorite unconventional bag shapes in the galleries below.
