Every few years, designers try to give belt bags (often known in the US by their more pedestrian name: fanny packs) their day in the sun, usually to limited-at-best success. These pushes usually coincide with a general trend toward 70s neo-bohemian fashion, and since that’s what we’re in the middle of right now, there are suddenly a lot of belt bags available. As you might expect, some are better than others.
There are plenty of reasons that bags worn around the waist never quite reach full-pitch “trend” status: consumers have negative associations with the whole idea, they’re impractical for many people, they add bulk to an area of the body many women are sensitive about and, unlike other bags, sizing and fit are big issues. If you’re a 22-year-old going to Coachella, they’re a great idea, but that’s not regular life for most of the bag-shopping public.
Nonetheless, if you’re interested in the idea, there are some cute ones available right now at a variety of price points. Because the bags are usually small, you can can them on the low end of most brands’ price continuums, which makes it easier to indulge in a look that’s destined to be short-lived. (Until it comes back in 2018, anyway.) If none of these strike your fancy, there’s always the Fendi micro belt bags coming for Resort 2016.