I Spent a Week With Fall's Most Popular Designer Bags—Here Are My Candid Reviews
There’s no doubt that the lineup of handbags for fall 2023 are made for the woman on the go. Whether they come in the form of supersized carryalls designed to hold a jam-packed day’s worth of essentials or in the form of convertible clutches that offer four-plus ways to wear them, luxury handbags have never been better at mirroring our ever-busier lives. Thankfully this season, we don’t have to sacrifice function for fashion.
Yes, shoulder bags are still the leading silhouette, but the styles on offer range from petite and structured to oversized and roomy, so there’s really something for everyone. Of course, deciding to invest in a designer bag is far from a casual affair, what with the endless parade of options in the market and the increasingly high price tags they come with. As a fashion editor, I consider it my duty to scutinze everything from size and shape to versatility and function when recommending a luxury handbag, but today I’m taking it one step further by lending the season’s top three styles my personal review.
Here, discover my shortlist of the most talked-about bags of fall 2023—the Gucci Horsebit Chain Strap Bag, Prada Triangle-Logo Handbag, and Loewe Squeeze Bag—complete with details on their fit, function, and how much really fits inside each.
Gucci’s Horsebit Chain Strap Shoulder Bag may be featured en masse on the arms of fashion insiders this fall, but the bag is steeped in a history that extends all the way back to 1953 when Aldo Gucci first conceived of the iconic Horsebit design as a loafer embellishment. Then it was creative director Tom Ford who introduced the first Horsebit bag in his fall/winter 2003 collection for the house and now on its twenty-year anniversary, Gucci has released an updated version of the storied bag featuring a double shoulder strap and padded leather variations. Of course, the early aughts bags soared in value on the resale market as soon as they were featured on the fall 2023 runway—Rihanna was notably spotted carrying her vintage iteration for a date-night in NYC—but now that they’ve arrived in stores and online, the Horsebit Chain bag is unquestionably emerging as one of fall’s hottest accessories.
Right off the bat, this bag won me over. As an enthusiast of archival fashion, carrying such an iconic silhouette was a thrill. But once I unpackaged it and begun tinkering around with the variety of straps and ways to wear it, it was hard not be even more impressed with the remastered version. My medium-sized Horsebit fit way more than I had initially anticipated, including my full-sized foldover wallet, digital camera (to really get into my early 2000s feels), and a series of lipsticks and small essentials. It’s a great size for an everyday bag and considering it moonlights as an evening clutch, it’s far roomier than most.
Right off the bat, this bag won me over. As an enthusiast of archival fashion, carrying such an iconic bag silhouette felt like a thrill. But once I unpackaged it and begun tinkering around with the variety of straps and ways to wear it, it was hard not be even more impressed with the remastered version. My medium-sized Horsebit fit way more than I had initially anticipated including my full-sized foldover wallet, digital camera (to really get into my early 2000s feels), and a series of lipsticks and small essentials.
It comes with a leather and a chain strap both of which are removable, tallying the total number of ways to wear the bag to around four: with the leather strap, with the chain strap, with both, or as a clutch with neither. As a clutch you can carry it from underneath or slip your hand underneath the Horsebit hardware which I think is the more forward route to take. Wearing it as a shoulder bag, it falls underneath your shoulder but can also be pushed back so it falls vertically behind your shoulder, which I find to be a cool way to really show off the details.
Overall, I loved carrying this bag and had few critiques of it. It has a magnetic clasp underneath the front flap, so weaseling it open from underneath the hardware proved to be a tad awkward. It took my a beat longer than I’m used to to open and close it, but otherwise once it’s closed it’s very secure and nothing is falling out (a definite plus). Since that was my one criticism of the bag, I’d say it’s a very solid return on investment, all things considered.
When Prada debuted its fall/winter 2023 collection in Milan this spring, I vividly remember setting my alarm to wake up in time for the show’s livestream. While I waited for the caffeine from my first cup of coffee to hit my bloodstream, it was the series of bags Prada models carried that perked me up instead. I was taken with their structured trapezoidal shapes that were silhouetted against a backdrop of blazers and A-line skirts. Several of the bags even echoed the florals on the skirts and shoes with similar flowers etched right into the leather. I knew immediately that the geometric shapes and triangle-logo hardware would assume an influential position on the fashion world come September and, well, I hate to brag, but I think I was right. We’ve already seen how the floral-adorned kitten heels have swept the internet this fall, and I predict that Prada’s newly-launched trapezoidal bags are the runway piece that everyone will be talking about next.
Miuccia Prada has a way of imbuing a sense of understated self-assuredness to her designs and this bag is the epitome of such an attitude. Everything about it eschews the traditional attraction of owning a designer bag: the logo is nondescript while its silhouette denies attention and its simple black and white color offerings hardly speak above a whisper. What I think make it a buzzy piece instead of those things is the inherent members-only experience you get from carrying a bag like this. Only fellow fashion fans will recognize it as a FW23 runway piece and understand the meaning of it as a quiet luxury symbol.
Even though its accessories account for a majority share of its business, Prada’s roots are in tailoring and at the end of the day it’s a ready-to-wear house. Simply put, leather goods aren’t what made Prada, well, Prada to begin with. So while I fell in love with the look of this bag, I did have some qualms about the experience I had carrying it that I feel its my duty to candid about.
It fits less than the Gucci, but still holds all the essentials including a phone, wallet, pair of sunglasses, AirPods case, hand cream, and lip balm. I enjoyed that the shoulder strap was adjustable becuase to me there’s nothing worse than when a bag doesn’t fit over the bulky shoulder of your coat or blazer. The week I tested these bags happened to coincide with the week I pulled my coats out of storage for the fall and winter, so that detail wasn’t lost on me.
For the closure, I had to pull it off my shoulder to open it with two hands—one to pinch the snap closure on the side of the triangle piece and the other to pull up on the top flap, though closing it proved to be more seamless. One other pet peeve I had with this bag is that it doesn’t exactly stand up on its own since the bottom is slightly curved. When I rush in the door, I always set my bag down on my front table and the Prada just fell onto its back, so it’s more of a bag you would keep on a hook.
There’s nothing usual about the Loewe Squeeze Bag, but that’s exactly the point. Crafted with scunched detailing, a jewelry-like donut chain, and a squishy handle from which the bag derives its name, the Squeeze is simply teeming with It-bag potential. I’m pleased to say it lives up to the hype and then some. Made from an extraordinarily soft Napa lambskin leather, it was introduced in the fall/winter 2023 runway and consequently featured in the campaign with Loewe ambassador Taylor Russell.
Loewe shares that “the Squeeze’s buttery nappa lambskin leather was specifically developed to be used unlined, contributing to its lightness. The bag’s construction showcases the atelier’s craftsmanship and attention to detail, from the inside zipped pocket to the leather piping that lends structure to the base.” And it really is the Mary Poppins of fall’s luxury handbags. I carried the medium, which is the larger of the two sizes it comes in, and was taken aback by how much was able to fit comfortably inside.
In its Q3 Index for 2023, Lyst named the bag as a main driver of interest and searches in Loewe. The brand ranked second on its list of the hottest brands this quarter, and for good reason. The Squeeze touts a high-profile fandom including Emily Ratjkowksi, Sofia Richie Grainge, Kendall, Jenner, and Jennifer Lawrence, just to name a few, and not to mention, the bag infiltrated the street style scene all throughout Fashion Month with its distinctively playful shape.
The details and finishings on this bag are truly something you have to experience to fully understand. Take the leather, for instance, which is so buttery soft and simply lovely. But the donut chain is definitely the star of the show here. It adds such a beautiful touch and its jewelry-like look earned me compliments everywhere I went. Not only does the bag come with an extra chain to use as an extension making the strap even longer, but there’s a clasp right as the leather starts to scrunch that allows you to adjust the chain to any length of your choosing in between the mini donuts. At the end of the chain is a metal token engraved with Loewe’s anagram logo.
The downside for me was that the handle wasn’t as soft as I expected it would be and after a full day of lugging around my laptop, charger, extra pair of flats, and other office essentials, the handle started digging into my shoulder. I’m not sure if I’d have the same issue carrying the smaller size since it wouldn’t be holding as much weight. The silver lining is that the handle slides off from the chain strap, in case you wanted to pop it off for more of a jewelry look.
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