With the rise of the ready-for-anything, giant tote, and the recent popularity of a Birkin dupe, we look at the evolution of the It bag and ask what our choice of bag reveals.

If you're the sort of person who likes to be prepared for any eventuality when you leave the house, then you're in luck – one of the biggest accessories trends right now is the supersized handbag. Think slouchy, voluminous holdalls and totes perfect for stuffing with make-up bags, phone chargers, water bottles, books, umbrellas and whatever paraphernalia you need to see you through the day.

Designers aren't always known for prioritising practicality, so this feels like a welcome moment of fashion meeting function. The spring/summer 2025 catwalk shows saw models for Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton and Hermès strut down the catwalk with sensible, spacious doctor holdalls, while at Proenza Schouler they carried giant totes. Last autumn Yves Saint Laurent launched its latest arm candy, the roomy Y – a bag you might actually fit the kitchen sink into – now a favourite with celebrities, including Angelia Jolie and Bella Hadid.

Big bags have been emerging as a trend for a couple of years now. In fact, you could trace their comeback to around the time Matthew Macfadyen's character Tom Wambsgans famously mocked a woman's "ludicrously capacious" handbag on TV drama Succession, a show dedicated to the lives of the super-rich – who don't need to lug anything around for themselves. "What's even in there?" asked Tom. "Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail? It's gargantuan. You could take it camping. You could slide it across the floor after a bank job." The billionaires of Succession might not have approved of voluminous carryalls, but the fashion industry begged to differ.

While it might be nice to think the world of high-end fashion is becoming more aware of the needs of the average woman, more likely it's all part of the industry's cyclical nature, which saw micro bags dominating only a few years ago (after all, one of this season's other big trends is bags inspired by the shape of a sausage dog). No sooner have you stuffed your bag with your belongings, there's a new style on the block. And while the latest designs might offer a more practical solution for women, the truth is that a handbag's desirability is rarely down to simple practicality. A bag, especially a designer one, is more than just something to haul things around in. It can also be a status symbol, an item of self-expression and personal identity, or an object of aspiration.

The term "It bag" gained prominence in the 1990s, but the concept dates back decades earlier. In 1955, Coco Chanel created a quilted leather bag with a long chain. The 2.55 – designed to be slung over the shoulder – was revolutionary at the time, offering women a greater freedom than clutch bags or top-handled totes. Seventy years later, it remains one of the most desired designer bags around.

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