This Summer’s 5 Biggest Handbag Trends Are Surprisingly Timeless

When I think of summer bags, I think of Jane Birkin holding her straw basket bag in the south of France or Penelope Cruz in Jamon Jamon, carrying a red plastic market bag down a dirt road in Spain. Summer bags are often textured and practical. They’re the kind of accessory you can get wet or sandy. They’ll hold a bottle of sunscreen, your phone, maybe even a baguette but not much else. Because during the summer, you normally don’t need much else. That’s the beauty of a summer bag. It reminds you of the ease of vacation living.

And so, summer bags often get relegated to just that: bags meant for summer and little else. This season though, the biggest summer bag trends actually feel more timeless. It’s not that they don’t have the fun joie de vivre that they normally do but instead that they ask you to bring that fun summer energy to your year-round wardrobe. Below, the five summer bag trends you’ll want to wear to the beach and beyond.

Rafia Realness

Raffia is a classic summer bag trend that has been around for centuries, dating back to ancient Egypt and popularized in modern times by none other than Jane Birkin. But this year, Raffia wasn’t just part of every brand’s colorful resort collections. Raffia bags were all over the Spring/Summer 2025 runways too, worn with leather pants and high heels. Raffia bags are a great way to add texture, of course, but also lightness to a look that otherwise might feel too polished or serious.

Studded Suede Spontaneity

Valentino‘s studded suede Nellcote shoulder bag and fringe crossbody has been spotted on everyone from Bella Hadid to Alexa Chung to Dev Hynes. If there was a bag of the summer, it would undoubtedly be this one. And it’s not hard to grasp why. The bag is fun! Fun to the touch, fun on the eyes, fun to carry! Wearing it means feeling the fringe trail behind you as you walk or catching someone else’s reflection in one of the many large rounded studs. Studded suede bags in general are also everywhere. And so they encourage the kind of free-spirited spontaneity that’s synonymous with summer.

Snakeskin Sexiness

If rafia adds a realness to an outfit, then snakeskin adds a sexiness. Everyone has been talking so much about leopard print for the past couple of months and whether or not it’s a neutral (it is!) that we’ve forgotten about all of the snakeskin that was all over fashion month. At Miu Miu, models carried snakeskin bags clutched to their chest with the straps of their cone bras peaking out over colorful dresses. And there’s no reason snakeskin shouldn’t be synonymous with summer, it’s just as sexy as the concept of a ride on the back of someone you don’t know’s Vespa (and wouldn’t you look even better doing that…wearing a snakeskin bag?).

Belted Freakiness

Belts have been getting freaky lately and honestly, we couldn’t be more pleased. If you’re just using a belt to hold up your pants, consider adding a couple more a-la Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2025…or just throw on a belted bag from Prada or the trendy Osoi. Belted bags are a fun way to add a buckle to a look that doesn’t necessarily do much but adds a little weirdness to the fit—in the best way. Belts aren’t the most common summer accessory, which is probably why belt bags feel like they’re everywhere right now. If you aren’t wearing pants, you can just throw a belt over your shoulder.

Smooth Like Yellow Butter

Summer should be as smooth and delicious as butter yellow. The sunshine shade is popular during the season for an obvious reason but it’s also the easiest way to brighten up any look, even if it’s raining. While going more bright and bold in the summer months is common, butter yellow is the exact pop of color we could all use every month of the year. Butter isn’t restricted to summertime, so why should the color be?