Well, friends! We’re winding down with Spring Trends Week, and today we’re talking about some of the biggest handbag and accessory trends for spring 2024.
Accessories such as jewelry, eyewear, and belts are one of the easiest and most affordable ways to update your wardrobe. And even with handbags, while generally a bit more of an investment, the cost per wear works itself out over time. But the best part about accessories and handbags is, they always fit!
Well, almost always. I suppose some bracelets can pose fit issues, but even then, you don’t usually outgrow them when you have a few too many tacos on vacation… not that I would know anything about that!
Anyway, these are some of the prominent trends I’m seeing in accessories and handbags for this spring season!
Handbag & Accessory Trends for Spring 2024
As always, this is not an exhaustive list, but these are a few of the big ones that caught my eye.
#1. Mega Bags & Bucket Bags
photo credit: Anthropologie
From massive totes to larger-than-life messenger bags, the oversize handbag is trending for spring 2024. Of course, you don’t have to carry a dramatically big bag to participate in the trend. I went with large but practical sizes in my product roundup below.
Bucket bags are still going strong, and the slouchy styles seem to be taking over this season, when it seems like structure and ladylike styles were bigger the past few seasons.
Style Tip: Make sure you have a good shoe pairing or two to go with any new new handbag purchase!
#2. Rattan & Woven Bags
photo credit: Nordstrom
Sticking with handbags here for a minute, we’re seeing lots of rattan, straw, and woven bags again this season. Since these are traditional spring/summer fabrics, this is an easy one to incorporate into your existing wardrobe, no matter what your style.
Again, oversized totes, bucket bags, and slouchy styles are having a moment right now, but so are clutches and other smaller styles, so you can certainly find something that suits your needs and personal preferences.
By the way, my Dragon Diffusion woven leather tote has been restocked! And the Naghedi woven neoprene bags are still popular too.
Shop rattan and woven bags for spring:
#3. Chunky Silver Earrings
photo credit: J.Crew
Okay, moving on to jewelry, shiny silver statement jewelry is having a major moment right now, specifically wavy, sculptural earrings and chunky necklaces. The traditional door knocker is gaining popularity in bold, chunky forms, and puffy hoops are still going strong.
There’s still plenty of gold out there, if that’s what you prefer to wear, but if you’re a silver girl like me, you will be very happy to lean into this trend while it’s having its moment.
Shop silver earrings:
#4. Cat Eye Sunglasses
photo credit: Matches Fashion
When it comes to sunglasses, the 90s horizontal frames are coming back, but I’m seeing more about the cat eye frames than anything. They sort of overlap, I guess! I’m also seeing the 70s squarish wire frames as well, but I personally prefer the cat eye tortoiseshell frames.
Shop trending sunglasses for spring 2024:
#5. Belts Are Back!
photo credit: Boden
I realized they may not have gone anywhere for some of you, but there was a time where belts really weren’t a thing. Even when we were all front-tucking our oversized tops into skinny jeans, we usually neglected to add a belt.
Nowadays, I feel nekkid if I wear an outfit that exposes the button on my jeans and I don’t have a belt on. I love how it adds a point of interest and provides another opportunity inject your personal style into your look.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How To Style A Belt With Jeans
I love a supple leather belt with high quality hardware, and I’ve invested in some luxury designer brands, but you can find beautiful pieces at lower price points, as well.
Shop my favorite belts:
Which of these do you plan to lean into this season?
As far as what accessories are out, it’s hard to just mention a few. I mean, there are some styles that look dated, but far more just are there. Not trending, but perfectly acceptable to wear with more modern wardrobe pieces to create a look that’s current and stylish. I have a lot of designer bags and jewelry that I’ve had for years that don’t really go in and out of style.
As far as accessories I’ve put on the back burner lately… I don’t wear the long pendant necklaces right now; I prefer a layered look or shorter pendant. I still love a nice pair of earrings studs, but I prefer chunky hoops and larger styles such as those listed above.
I’ve passed on most of my wrap bracelets, in lieu of simpler pieces, but I might want to add a few chunky cuffs as I head into spring and my wrists are more visible.
I don’t wear scarves as outfit accessories, but I haven’t for a long time. It’s not really my thing, even when they are trending. I’m still wearing my large squarish sunglasses because I like how they fit my face, even though cat eye and more horizontal styles are on their way back in.
As for handbags, I’m still carrying my crossbody camera bags because they’re practical, and I don’t think they look dated. They just aren’t trending hard this season. I don’t carry my large open totes much at all anymore, but I kept my YSL and Louis Vuitton totes because they’re classics, and they’ll come back around.
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53 Responses
I’d say rings pose much more of a fit issue than bracelets! I definitely have rings that don’t fit anymore since I gained significant weight. These days I try not to drop too much money on any ring I know can’t be resized, since my finger size does fluctuate if I gain or lose a lot of weight.
Been enjoying all the spring trend posts. I’ll be sticking with gold for the most part but I do have one pair of shiny silver studs (my fiancé gave them to me forever ago, before he realized I was really a gold girl) and I have to say they’re definitely feeling more right lately than they have for the last few years.
Yeah, good point about rings. I didn’t think of that.
Impossible to read the blog. So many pop ups. I’m wondering if it’s my end. 🥹
Hi Donna, what device are you reading on? Feel free to email me a screenshot of what you are seeing.
I am very close to implementing an entirely new blog design, and I will be re-evaluating the ads and pop-up email newsletter signup situation at that time.
I am using my iPad. I don’t know how to take a screen shot. I hope the new implementation works.
That is helpful. I will take a look at my blog on my husband’s iPad. I never use one. The pop-ups can all be closed but I do realize how annoying that can be.
I read on my phone every day and never have a problem. Your blog is far less annoying than many others I read with pop-ups.
Well, that is nice to hear! 🙂 I read a lot of blogs and websites and I don’t find mine terribly annoying in comparison. I have a large iPhone, though.
My favorite trend is the woven bags and slouchy oversized bags.
Just an fyi – I don’t have trouble from pop ups on your blog on my iPhone and Chromebook. Usually one or two that I can X out and they don’t come back.
Thanks, good to know!
With my coloring, I’m definitely more of a gold girl but I do wear some silver jewelry if the outfit calls for it. Thank you for this week long post on Spring trends, I’ve really enjoyed it!
I so desperately want a raffia or rattan bag, but all the ones I have tried are so rough that I am afraid they will ruin my clothes. I end up returning them. My most recent attempt was the raffia Madewell Transport Tote from last year. Do you have any suggestions?
Such a great question!
Tracy…I’m the same way. I bought one years ago and rarely wear it because of worry about ruining my clothes. It’s a small handle carry type but still rubs on pants. Most I see are rough too.
Hm, interesting. I haven’t had any issues with this clutch, but I realize it is small. I have been wanting a rattan bag, such as one of the bucket styles I linked, but I never invested last year. I am looking forward to carrying the Dragon Diffusion tote again, and I probably don’t need both.
Thanks for posting these from least to most expensive! I’m leaning into a belt. I realized I don’t have a good black and tan belt so I’ve been shopping and this will save me some time.
Glad to know that is helpful. It takes more time, but happy to do it if it makes it easier to find what you need.
Hello Just my 2 cents worth, take a look at the Tori Burch reversible , black & tan belt(Nordstrom) worth every penny to me. My buckle is gold but may be available from other retailers in other metals. I travel a lot & this belt is the first thing I pack. Goes with jeans, dresses, & dress pants. Highly recommend! Had it for years and still looks new.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Great post! I too am starting to wear belts more and have found a difference in how they wear when going quality. I chose a YSL in black and now need to find a caramel one to invest in.
As for readability on a iphone it’s great news hearing a new site is coming! Thank you! I commented on the frustrations about it a few weeks ago. Sometimes if I want to comment it takes multiple attempts because the entire post resizes or refreshes while I’m typing and I just give up. Lots of issues zooming in on a photo to see detail as well. I know we all appreciate your time and investment of trying to bring more joy while reading your blog😊 I do have a funny I’ll share on our fb group about belt wearing too!
Yes Jo- Lynne this happens to me too. I just thought it’s how it needs to be.
No, you should not have issues leaving comments. The new site will create a whole new host of issues, lol, so it will take some time to iron them out. I hope this new team I’m working with is good at figuring stuff out. It’s complicated because it looks different and operates differently on different devices.
No problem. I’ll stick with you no matter what. Hope all goes well with new site development.
I’ve had the same issue with comments lately. iPhone 12 with wifi and safari browser for reference. I have noticed it’s mainly on posts that already have a lot of comments. It also happens when I’ve zoomed in to type my comment then zoom out before hitting submit. Hope this is helpful info. Can’t wait to see the new blog design!
Hm, if you are zooming in on comments, I can see how that would mess things up. It’s hard to optimize a site for both desktop and mobile, and mine is definitely better on desktop. Also, most blogs these days do not get the amount of legit comments this one does, so the functionality for a lot of comments, and comment threads with replies to each other, is not a huge priority for most developers. It’s almost like we need a forum to chat. But there is only so much we can do with the blog platform.
Well this is my third time trying to leave this reply, so we’ll see how it works! Whenever I hit reply on another person’s comment, it automatically zooms in when it triggers the comment box to open. I have to remind myself not to zoom out (which means if I want to proof what I typed, I have to scroll back and forth for each line). If I do accidentally forget and zoom back out, it will refresh and lose everything I typed. However, it’s not unique to having zoomed. As I typed this the first two times, it refreshed and lost it twice and I had not zoomed in or out. I’ve also had it happen several times while I’m scrolling reading other people’s comments, typically it’ll refresh and land randomly somewhere in the middle of the blog post. For reference this is on a iPhone 12 with ios 17.3.1.
I understand the challenge of trying to make it user friendly for both desktop and mobile devices. Any idea which the majority of readers use? I personally am a millennial who won’t drag a laptop out for much of anything (especially in the 10 min I allow myself to check blogs in the morning before getting ready for work), but many others may prefer laptops and some may have no preference. Would it be helpful to do a survey?
I have those analytics. It’s about 50/50 – and most designers design for desktop and then make the mobile site off of that.
I think the issue with replying to comments, and posts with lots of comments, is that blogs generally don’t get a lot of comments these days. So they aren’t built for that amount of conversation, especially with the replies to each other. I will talk to my new designer about it and see if they have any insight.
I’ve been needing to get new prescription glasses and sunglasses for awhile now. I don’t like the cat eye on me and of course the more rectangle are coming back in. lol. My sunglasses sort of are and I need a change. When you have prescription you can’t change every year. I’m excited about the silver jewlery trending more, as it goes best with my cool tone clothes. I too will stick with my crossbody camera bags as they work for me. As for belts it’s just so much easier without and more comfortable, but my eye is starting to change where I feel I need one now with a front tuck. I’m sorry about mono back in your house. I’ve shared with you before about my daughter who has celiac and also had chicken pox and mono twice. All are auto immune issues. Remember when I told you once she gets mono the immune disease specialist told us to keep them down two weeks. No sports, school etc. She said the mistake is people get mono and keep trying to push through and it doesn’t work that way. Yes….. it was very hard to have her miss two weeks of high school but the school teachers were good to send her school work home and she ended up quitting softball which was sad. She just didn’t have the strength to stay in it. Hard year for sure. She had mono 8 th grade and sophomore in high school. I realize Becca is a Senior. Hard year to do this. Prayers for Becca.
Kathy I think you are definitely right! I had mono in nursing school. We were only allowed to miss/makeup two or three days worth of clinicals without having to repeat the semester. I was determined not to have to repeat, so I pushed through. I could barely muster up the strength to walk down the halls. It was a month or more before I felt back to normal strength. I suspect it would’ve been less if I’d done as your doctor suggested. As my mom says “sometimes you just have to let yourself be sick”! Prayers for Becca!
Megan…. That must have been so hard. My daughter went through nursing school and I remember her so nervous if she got sick. Her school same strict rules. My friend also in nursing school got skin cancer and had to go through ALOT to get time off to have surgery.
It was pretty rough. Thankfully the week I went back was right before Thanksgiving, so I was able to rest the following week. This was about twenty years ago, I think it’s better now. Many years later I remember a kind hearted instructor bringing only one student to the hospital on a Saturday I was working. I asked why she only had one and she said the student had been sick and was going to miss getting to graduate on time due to missed clinicals. I was proud of the instructor for giving up her Saturday to help the girl graduate on time.
Yes, I remember you telling me that. We still aren’t sure this is mono, but it is presenting more like mono than when she definitely had it. The doc is perplexed. It’s frustrating and rather scary not to know what is wrong. We follow up with more bloodwork on Monday.
I’ve always loved silver jewelry. I like bucket bags but most don’t close complete so not good to travel with.
Loved this week of Spring trends! Great information. I’m looking at belts.
I’m so sorry about your daughter being sick. 🙏 I am a belt person but haven’t worn them much since I retired. I’m going to start again. I bought the Gap belt you show in the widget. I have it in cognac and a light tan. (I believe you or Cyndi styled it last year.) I’m pleased with the quality since it’s not leather. As far as bags I’m going to stick to my crossbody. I bought a metallic one for spring. I need structure and can never go back to a slouchy bag. I’m a gold person but I still like silver. It looks good with certain colors. I’m glad I kept my silver cuffs. I pretty much quit wearing what you mentioned. I only kept one long necklace because it’s not real long and it’s pretty. I donated all my fashion scarves. They are hard to get rid of. Most women don’t like them. I only wear winter scarves when it’s cold. I’ve enjoyed this week’s posts. I can’t wait to see you styling spring fashion.
Hey! Just a few things! I usually look at your blog on my 17″ laptop, and it’s lovely, ads are small and unobtrusive. I have the same problems as others when on my iPhone. Ads are annoying and making a comment is very frustrating as they disappear at times and I give up! ughhh!
As for trends, I hate myself in cat-eye glasses styles, so I’ll stick with my round, oval or square styles. Love belts, glad they are trending (bought a great black leather one from Madewell with my $25 off birthday giftcard!). Hobo and slouchy bags are not a favorite, I like structure. I have so much jewelry from over the decades and always can find something in my stash that is trending now (even though I wore it 25 years ago! HAHA). Prayers for Becca.
I read on my iPad and have no problem with pop ups covering your blog. But, I do give up on comments sometimes as they disappear and what I was going to say is not worth re typing.
Loving these what’s trending and what’s going out posts! I need new belts of better quality so I’m going to look into those. I like my crossbody bags (hands free) so I’ll pass on big bags. I wear both silver and gold, even better when a piece incorporates both. I don’t really like big chunky pieces though. I love sunglasses and have many – Oakley, Ray Ban, Maui Jim in black, brown, tortoise, aviator. Cat eyes are not my thing so I’ll pass on that trend.
Question about necklaces – are these now considered “in” or “out”? A few of the delicate chains worn in different lengths and often with a charm (heart, shape, letter, etc.) – And thanks for all the helpful info, photos, perspective and insight. You’re the best!
Layered looks are still in, but they are getting chunkier, less delicate, if you want the most current look.
I love your blog and have followed for a while. I have tried to comment a couple times and it would not work. I use iphone and ipad with Safari.
Agree about all the pop up ads. Tons and tons of them. Cannot always x out of them.
I’ll give my two cents on issues leaving comments. Sometimes I have issues where the comment disappears because the page will refresh while I am typing the comment. I think the issue might be caused because a new comment has popped in and the page refreshes. I am using iPad iOS 17. Also, I bought a really nice Vince belt that is reversible black/cognac. I don’t wear belts very often but would like ideas on how to style belts.
There was a necklace you had posted on your blog that was silver and gold combo. I believe it had silver bars with gold doo dads between the bars. It might have been Gorjana brand although not seeing it on their website Or Nordstrom or Evereve website. Do you have a link to it?
Hey Paula, is it this Jenny Bird one?
Yes that is the one. Thank you. I like how simple it looks.
I did a post on belts a few weeks ago, hope it helps!
I wish backpack purses were back in style. I like them better than cross body bags.
I wouldn’t say they look dated. Just not trending hard right now. If you like them, I’d use one!
Cat’s eye sunglasses and big totes! YAY!
I bought the woven top handle clutch that you showed. It looked perfect for an upcoming tropical trip for evening dinners when we dress up a bit. It arrived yesterday and it is quite lovely. I will enjoy using it. It is more than large enough to hold a large cell phone, a small wallet, keys and a few miscellaneous items. The quality is good and it looks good.
So glad you like it!
i love accessories as a way to update outfits. What type of belt and handbag would you recommend wearing with silver shoes such as Birkenstock Arizona in silver?
I would probably wear a brown belt close to the color in the shoes, with a silver buckle… in my perfect world, lol. But if I didn’t have that, maybe something in a light brown or a color that matches my outfit. Bag… something white or brown or taupe…. with silver hardware preferably.