I'm a magpie for evening bags and these are all on my wishlist

The bags that make the outfit

evening bags street style
(Image credit: Getty)

Now that Halloween is over, the countdown to the festive season can begin, and I like to have you covered from head to toe when it comes to the sartorial side of things, whether it's fine for a seasonal designer handbag purchase, finding the perfect party dresses or timeless evening bags.

When it comes to trends, while I'm a big fan of the quiet luxury trend in my day-to-day wardrobe, for party season it firmly goes out the window. If you can't go all out in December then when can you?

Luckily, designers agree with me. Versace, Amina Muaddi and Dolce & Gabbana's rhinestone-encrusted clutches all embody the maximalist spirit of the season. And who can forget Judith Leiber, she of the swan-shaped clutch bag that Big gives Carrie instead of saying 'I Love You'.

Mirrored metallics, also a key shoe style this season, adorn bags at Valentino and Paco Rabanne.

Beaded designs reign supreme at the likes of Alexander McQueen, whose iconic knuckle-duster clutch gets a fairy-tale makeover with strands of pearls this season, and at Jimmy Choo and Simone Rocha.

For those looking for a more subtle finishing touch to their outfit, there are of course plenty of clutch bags that do fit the quiet luxury brief. They need look no further than The Row, Gabriela Hearst and Saint Laurent.

You can find all of these trends and more on the high street as well, with the likes of Zara, Mango, COS and H&M serving up beautiful and affordable evening bags too. Shop these below.

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.