The Next Wave: 7 Bags About to Be Even More Popular Than They Already Are

The handbag market popularity hierarchy is more complex than average fashion fans might assume. At the top, you have the It Bags, which usually reign for several years and attract the most attention. Right below them, there’s another tier of bags that are intensely coveted and wildly successful but not quite “it.” Often, this is the tier It Bags retire to when the waitlists wane, but it’s also where you’ll find many bags that have made it their home–the Saint Laurent Sac de Jours and Givenchy Nightingales of the world.

It’s a hard tier to enter, because it means a bag has consumer longevity–it’s not enough for a design to be popular for a season or two. It also often means the bag is beloved by celebrities; their adoration helps keep a bag on consumers’ radar long after a big launch or ad campaign. Many of the bags currently in this tier have been around for a while, though, and lately, we’ve noticed what might be a new guard emerging on the accessories market.

Below, we’ve selected a handful that we think are likely to make the jump to industry staples. These bags are all already pretty popular in their own right, but 2016 is the year they level up.

Christian Dior Diorever Tote
Price Upon Request via Dior

This bag is brand new, but we feel confident about the Diorever‘s potential popularity. The bag has inspired a swift shopping response from Dior aficionados on PurseForum, and if Dior’s next creative director can keep up the momentum, we’re bound to see this bag frequently in the future.

Christian-Dior-Diorever-Tote

Chloé Hudson Bag
$2,150 via Neiman Marcus

Chloé has had huge back-to-back success with two little flap shoulder bags on long straps: the Drew and the Faye. Those bags are still wildly popular, but the slightly more casual Hudson is catching up quickly.

Chloe-Hudson-Bag

Céline Trotteur Bag
$2,250 via Céline

Like Céline’s other big handbag successes, the Trotteur is familiar but distinctive. It’s also the perfect little summer bag for a particularly fashionable sort of woman, so you can bet they’ll start popping up all over your favorite blogger’s Instagram soon.

Celine-Trotteur-Bag

Fendi DotCom Bag
$2,900 via Bergdorf Goodman

The DotCom just launched for Resort 2016, but we’ve already noticed select versions selling out at online retailers and the bag’s presence on some very fashionable, very famous arms. Fendi‘s greatest strength is its ability to take a well-liked design and endlessly embellish and modify it, and the DotCom seems as though it will provide Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi with their next great canvas.

Fendi-DotCom-Bag

Gucci Dionysus Bag
$2,500 via Gucci

Gucci‘s explosion in popularity under Alessandro Michele has led to us spotting the Dionysus on several famous arms, but continued consumer and celebrity interest in Gucci and the brand’s fidelity to this design as the baseline for Michele’s leather goods department bodes very well for its future.

Gucci-Dionysus-Bag

Loewe Puzzle Bag
$2,450 via Nordstrom

Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson has had a lot of fun playing with handbag structure and conventions in his brief time at the brand’s helm, and the Puzzle is, so far, the greatest achievement he’s overseen. The uniquely structured bag first caught the eyes of the industry’s forward-thinkers, and since then, its popularity has grown steadily. We most recently spied the Puzzle on Beyoncé‘s arm and more stores are carrying the design than ever, so by our estimation, the only way Loewe’s new signature bag can go is up.

Loewe-Puzzle-Bag

Tod’s Wave Bag
$2,165 via Saks

Tod’s hasn’t made a notable push into the seasonal handbag market in years, but the Wave’s launch qualifies as the fashion version of a full-court press. The brand has placed this new design on the arms of models and actresses of many different kinds, and we’re happy to be seeing it as much as we are: unlike so many bags lately, it isn’t just a Tod’s take on a traditional shape or a barely veiled rehash of an already-popular bag. The Wave, like the Loewe Puzzle, strikes us as a true original.

Tod's-Wave-Bag

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Sparky

I like the Diorever because its not as fussy as the Lady Dior or other Dior totes.
Totally loving the DotCom.

Sandy

There are some great bags here…the Dot.com and the Diorever are of interest. The Gucci Dionysus is perfection… I promised myself that I would make sure a bag is proven before I would purchase…the Gucci is so close.

Aoedele

My fave is the last one. great color. Need a yellow bag this Summer.

Yoshi1296

Tbh the Dior and the Chloe look terrible. I hope the rest of the bags featured here outshine those two.

LadyB

the dior looks something my great-aunt would have worn….

Lily

Agreed…. neither of those bags is original or distinctive. The other bags are great, and hopefully will be very successful.

FashionableLena

I like the Dionysus and the DotCom bag. The others are okay.
As unique as that Tod’s bag is, the opening is not functional and is a pain in the ass to get in and out of.

Sparky

I agree. The Tod’s looks like a pain.
I looked at the Tod’s on the Saks site. Its a top handle but the zipper is attached on an odd angle. It looks like there will be a lot of tension on the zipper once the bag gets loaded up.

FashionableLena

I actually tried it out last week at Saks. It was just too hard to get in and out of. You literally have to sit the bag down to unzip it and get whatever it is that you need. That alone made it a big no. The bag also snaps on either side. That’s the only way that it will keep that shape. The sales associate asked me if I was interested. I told her I was until I tried to open it.

Tang

I tried the bag out too at tod’s. It is true that u need to sit the bag down n use both hands to unzip n get e things out. I got a Chanel class flap n a boy n while it is easier to get things out with one hand while walking…I find that i will easily do damage esp since I m pretty rough handed. Luckily my car is a push start car/keyless entry so no need to extract car keys at all. Imagine traditional car key n fishing it out of bag n scratching bag in process! So having said all that, Mayb wave bag is gd for us to stop multi-tasking (talking/walking/holding iPhone/holding child’s hand/etc!) n concentrate on job on hand! Haha! I tot wave bag is quite an original shape n not copycat so I m waiting for a right colour to add to my handbag collection!

Tang

I tried the bag out too at tod’s. It is true that u need to sit the bag down n use both hands to unzip n get e things out. I got a Chanel class flap n a boy n while it is easier to get things out with one hand while walking…I find that i will easily do damage esp since I m pretty rough handed. Luckily my car is a push start car/keyless entry so no need to extract car keys at all. Imagine traditional car key n fishing it out of bag n scratching bag in process! So having said all that, Mayb wave bag is gd for us to stop multi-tasking (talking/walking/holding iPhone/holding child’s hand/etc!) n concentrate on job on hand! Haha! I tot wave bag is quite an original shape n not copycat so I m waiting for a right colour to add to my handbag collection!

Gigi

Meh. Underwhelmed.

BabyDietrich

No comment on the bag selections, but I have to say- IMO the top tier is Classic Bags, meaning bags that will never go out of fashion, ex) Chanel flap, Hermes Kelly, etc. The next tier should be It Bags. Just my two cents!

Amanda Mull

Definitely an argument to be made for that! I was thinking more in terms of bags that cycle in and out, are subject to trends and will eventually be discontinued, but in a larger picture, classic bags would definitely be the top tier.

Rhonda

I purchased the black floral dot.com and the red whip stitched dot.com. Totally extravagant, but loved them when they were first introduced several months ago. Every year I purchase a new bag, but this year I couldn’t resist both of these. They are both very comfortable to carry, lightweight and stylish.

Aliza Zibkoff

Like the wave bag but not sure how it works?

Tinsley Proust

There’s a zipper on the ‘wave’ part. It wraps around the back and you can snap it in place. Here’s a picture that hopefully makes more sense.

Aliza Zibkoff

THANKS!

Lisa

I was all set to buy the Dionysius until I saw it “in person” at the Munich airport shop last weekend. The hardware looks a bit cheap and seems too big for the bag, IMO. What should I do with the $2500 I just saved, haha??

Parvin Ghobadzadeh

I am surprised some of you did not like Dionysus . It is a beautiful bag with classic silhouette, well proportioned and definitely my pick.

LadyB

I don’t think it’s bad per se, but it is not an easy bag to carry. If not accessorized properly, i fear it might easily look “elderly”on the wearer… it might make a thrity something look much older, or a twenty something look “in mummy’s(or gran’s) clothes…

Imgoingbroke

I totally agree.

Suzanne

Count me in as loving the DotCom. No idea why but I just love it. Increasingly, Fendi can do no wrong in my book.

beccarisa

These are great picks. Definitely excited to see the Diorever, Trottuer and Dotcom rising to more fame. I’m a little surprised the Mansur Gavriel Lady bag didn’t make this list.

Salma

The only one I like is the gucci

Kate

I like the Chloe Hudson as a casual/weekend bag. The Dionysus is lovely when it’s not on the monogram canvas, which I dislike. The version here is very nice. The Celine Trotteur is a pretty little bag, but I would have to give it a closer look in real life. I’m indifferent toward Tod’s Wave and the Fendi DotCom (any Fendi, actually), and I hate the Loewe Puzzle bag with the fires of a thousand Suns.

klynneann

I love the look of the Dot.com, but when I had a chance to play with it IRL I found it’s not for me – a little bit too big and boxy. I was very disappointed. 🙁 I also love the look of the Loewe puzzle bag, but had heard there’s some difficulty getting in and out of it…?

Jerri R

Dot com with one of the fancy straps has a huge covet factor to me.

Sparkletastic

Love, love, LOVE the Dionysis and can’t wait to buy but I’m not a fan of canvas or suede. So I’m lying in wait for a leather or exotic offering.

I love Dior but that Diorever looks like a grocery sack. I love simplicity and elegance. But that is plain boring.

Other than that boring.

www.nike86market.com

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Jerri R

Im so in love with Dionysus anything

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