It bag alert: these are the bags of the year
TL;DR:
- The Prada Bonnie is more compact than it looks and works from morning to night
- The Alaïa Le Teckel started the east-west bag trend and grew into a legacy buy
- The Chanel Vanity Bag comes straight from the archive and wears surprisingly modern
- The Balenciaga City Bag is back, for more than just nostalgia
- All four work as a statement piece with a simple outfit
An it bag is more than a bag. It's a statement, an investment and sometimes a cultural moment. In 2026 the bag world is on the move: classics are making their comeback, new silhouettes are claiming their place and a handful of bags dominate every feed. These are the four defining the conversation.
1. Prada Bonnie
Photo: Prada
The Prada Bonnie is the bag that looks like a small bag but holds more than you'd expect. Compact, structured and effortless from morning to night.
The perfect mommy bag, as Dilara Selfinaz put it in our Matcha Date. And she's right. In a world full of oversized totes, the Bonnie is a deliberate choice for anyone who knows what they want.
2. Alaïa Le Teckel
Photo: Alaïa
The Le Teckel launched in 2024 and has refused to disappear ever since. The elongated, sculptural shape started the east-west bag trend and is by now a fixture in the closets of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Hailey Bieber and pretty much everyone who matters.
What could have been a trendy bag has become a legacy buy. Alaïa knew exactly what it was doing.
3. Chanel Vanity Bag
Photo: Chanel
The Chanel Vanity Bag has something nostalgic about it but wears surprisingly modern in 2026. The compact, cylindrical shape works as a statement piece with a simple outfit and as a finishing touch with something more elaborate.
Chanel opening its archive and winning every time.
4. Balenciaga City Bag
Photo: Balenciaga
The City Bag disappeared into the background for a while but is back, and this time for more than nostalgia. The soft leather construction, the iconic tassels and the relaxed silhouette fit perfectly with the current preference for bags that look like they've been worn for years.
Dilara Selfinaz called her first City Bag her first big purchase. Once an it bag, always an it bag. Check out the full range of Balenciaga.
Which it bag suits you?
Choose based on how you're going to wear the bag, not on which one trends hardest. The Bonnie and the Vanity Bag are the compact options: enough room for the essentials, small enough to work as an accessory.
The Le Teckel is the boldest shape and therefore the bag that lifts a simple look the fastest. And the City Bag is the only one of the four that gets better the more used it looks, which makes it the most practical everyday choice.
Ready to choose? Check out all bags for women or discover our designers.
Frequently asked questions about the it bags of 2026
What is an it bag?
An it bag is the bag that defines the conversation at a given moment: widely seen, widely wanted and often hard to get. It's not just about the design, but about the cultural moment around it. Some it bags fade away again, others become classics.
Which it bag is the best investment?
The Alaïa Le Teckel and the Chanel Vanity Bag hold their value best. The Le Teckel grew from trend bag to legacy buy, and Chanel archive models remain structurally in demand. Both are designs that aren't tied to a single season.
Is the Balenciaga City Bag back in fashion?
Yes. The City Bag is back, for more than just nostalgia: the soft leather construction, the tassels and the relaxed silhouette line up exactly with the current preference for bags that look like they've been around for years.
Which it bag is the most practical for daily use?
The Prada Bonnie for anyone who wants to carry compact without running out of room, and the Balenciaga City Bag for anyone who needs to fit more in. The City Bag has the added benefit that signs of use make the design better rather than worse.
Read next: The bag is the new kit: the best bag moments of the 2026 World Cup.
