Four of the Most Important Bags of 2025

Each year brings a new crop of handbag releases, and as we come closer to the end of another year, it’s time to discuss some of the most significant bag drops of 2025. From archival revivals to new shapes that took the bag world by storm, each bag holds significance in its own right.

This year was one of the most tumultuous in modern fashion history, with significant departures and arrivals all occurring within a single calendar year. It all culminated with the Spring 2026 season, which saw the debut of many of the new creative directors of the major European Houses.

While some Houses solidified their visions (like Chloé), others remained in that awkward transitional period, seeing new products in stores from a brand’s old creative director. A new release offers the potential to completely change a brand’s desirability as a whole or take an already coveted brand to the next level, which is why we pay so much attention to which drops are the buzziest of the year.

Truthfully, we usually pick a top five. Still, when it came to choosing a fourth option, many of the bags we considered didn’t feel big enough to include or were released the previous year. Still, runners-up included the Louis Vuitton Express, Coach Brooklyn (debuting in 2024), and the return of the Balenciaga Le City (debuting in 2024). It was a bit of a sleeper year for bags, but we just know next year at this time we’ll be singing a different tune.

Check out our picks below (in random order!), and let us know what you think!

Chanel 25 Bag

Over the last half-decade or so, Chanel has focused on launching big bags every three years. These launches have proven to be incredibly successful (and coveted) time and time again, often spawning waitlists where specific sizes and colors of a new release are difficult to track down.

Like the Chanel 19 and Chanel 22, this year’s big bag launch, the Chanel 25, offered a more trend-driven silhouette, incorporating elements of classic Chanel (such as iconic quilting and a woven leather chain) and modernizing them. The launch was backed by Dua Lipa, and despite its debut price of $6,000+, it was a hit among Chanel consumers.

Celine New Luggage

2025 saw the debuts of one new creative director after the next, and it all began in July with our first look at Michael Rider’s Celine. It was immediately clear that Rider was ushering in a new chapter at Celine. Still, the collection featured plenty of odes to classic Celine and its past eras.

One of those odes included an homage to Rider’s time working under Phoebe Philo at Celine—the return of the iconic Celine Luggage Tote. Rider even played on what Philophiles had been pointing out for years, releasing a smile iteration of the new luggage. Fans went wild.

Gucci Giglio

Gucci was prepping for its next chapter when it debuted a new House icon on its Cruise 2026 runway. The Gucci Giglio bag, designed by Gucci’s creative studio ahead of Demna’s appointment, signaled a transition, yet also paid homage to classic Gucci with its Gucci web details and the classic GG Monogram.

In a rare move, Gucci released the Giglio bag immediately, and it became an instant bestseller. We covered the bag immediately, but it would be months before the team was able to send us one to review in more detail, as the bag quickly became a sell-out. Since then, it’s been released in new sizes and colors.

Chloé Paddington

The brainchild of Phoebe Philo, who helmed Chloé from 2001 to 2006, the iconic Chloé Paddington bag made its debut on the runway for Spring 2005. It was a massive hit, and many attribute the era of the It-bag to the Paddington and bags of its kind.

This year, it returned with a fanfare we’ve not seen from a Chloé bag in over a decade, when the brand was helmed by Clare Waight Keller. Solidifying Chemena Kamali’s vision and proving that the boho, romantic Chloé of yesteryear was indeed SO back, the new Paddington stays true to its original details, including its cool-girl slouch and iconic padlock.