This Incredibly Cool Bag Trend Is Cropping Up In Every Major Fashion City—Will It Dethrone Suede?

From the moment Jennifer Lawrence stepped out in New York last summer wearing ballet flats decorated in metal rhinestones, I knew that the studded bag trend would be swift to follow. Now, it’s apparent that the best studded bags have begun to take over, with pierced accessories the buzzy new style fashion people across the globe are swapping other styles for.

You see, the industry has an uncanny way of translating motifs that sell in one format across others. This was obvious in the way Alaïa’s fishnet bag was picked up by the likes of Dua Lipa and Margot Robbie after the reign of their viral mesh shoes.

Khaite’s Benny Belt, a favourite amongst influencers like Lucy Williams or Abisola Omole and celebrities such as Selena Gomez, should’ve been the next indication that studded bags were on the rise.

It’s no coincidence that this should coincide with the start of a new season. Where winter was dominated by the luxuriously textured suede styles from DeMellier and Prada, spring has brought upon a return of this unsung embellishment. As the temperature warms, a sense of levity and lightness is injected into our wardrobes, and the studded bag trend is an example of how a small twist on a tried and true classic can insert a sense of freshness to timeless shapes.

Sofia Richie Grainge, despite her penchant for quiet luxury aesthetics, even deviated from her nouveau minimalist wardrobe for Khaite’s boxy and studded Elena Bag—the shoulder-swinging equivalent to the New York label’s beloved belt.

The best studded bags to shop not only speak to our desire for playfulness and youthful touches in what we wear, but also our collective wider shift toward a more edgy style synonymous with the indie sleaze era. Of course, if you look at Old Céline or designs made by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, you’ll notice that studded bags were secretly (or not so secretly, if you were tuned in) woven throughout each collection.

Isabel Marant is one designer who tapped into our appetite for nostalgia early by introducing the studded Oskan bag into fashion’s vocabulary late last year. The moon shape feels contemporary, but the studded edge is a true homage to the early 2000s, as you can see when modelled by Elsa Hosk below.

Still, the studded bag has cemented itself as a marker of this decade in its own right. Heed our warning—if the runways and streets of fashion month are any indicator, it’s that studded bags will soon be the style you spot everywhere and on everyone.

Amongst the New York Fashion Week street style set, content creator and creative director Charlotte Groeneveld styled her rigid studded back with an ethereal sheer skirt, soft knit and sumptuous faux fur trench to soften the toughness of the metallic accents.

Across the city, another attendee wore Alaïa’s east-west bag, which has already garnered a cult following thanks to the approval of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Studded bags were also spotted in Milan, but it was in Alessandro Michele’s sophomore collection for Valentino that the style ascended as a silhouette of note. (Alexa Chung may have already worn the suede, fringed and spotted Nellcôte Bag from the Maison, but this panelled leather version proves how versatile the best studded bags can be.)

Ornamental by design, the best studded bags on the market bring an air of grunge to otherwise polished shapes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you when they become the bag du jour—make like these style savants and shop our edit of the best studded bags, below.

The 17 Best Studded Bags to Shop This Spring and Beyond: