These are the only designer handbags you need for 2024

All the newest - and timeless - styles

designer handbags
(Image credit: Getty Images)

There's nothing like starting a new season with a new designer handbag, and for spring/summer 2024, there are plenty of gorgeous fashion-forward bags that will also seamlessly slot into your forever wardrobe. 

Trends-wise, we are seeing plenty of tales of opposites. Where the quiet luxury aesthetic is still going strong - Toteme, Lemaire and Loewe are all backing this - embellishments are also making a comeback this season, with chains, patterns and quirky details seen everywhere from Bottega to Prada (I'm still thinking about that tiny head acting as a clasp at Prada).

Where tiny bags and clutches are a worthy investment for spring, especially if you're thinking of envelope bags, XXL totes, preferably slouchy and stuffed to the gills, also reign supreme. Look to The Row, Khaite and Saint Laurent for practical, roomy bags.

While the colour-averse will welcome SS24's monochrome trend, others will be happy to hear that our love-in with red is showing no sign of abetting.

Another new(ish) trend for the season: woven and basket bags, perhaps an ode to Jane Birkin, who sadly passed away last summer.

Other new styles you'll be tempted to add to your shopping list: top handle bags for a ladylike take (Dolce & Gabbana, JW Anderson), and bucket bags for something altogether boho (Mulberry's new Islington bucket is a must).

Onto the more trend-led piece: the cargo bag, riddled with pockets in the perfect (and practical) throwback to the 00s trend. Look to Balenciaga and Miu Miu for this particular style.

From the practical to the no-so-practical, the new to the re-imagined, here we breakdown the best new designer handbags to invest in this season.

Shop the best new season designer handbags:

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.