It Was the Year of Goldilocks Bags—Too Big, Too Small

Unlike the cultural penchant for baggy jeans and slim sneakers, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what bag dominated 2024. Sure, the Alaïa Le Teckel, Coach Brooklyn, and Bottega Veneta Andiamo stole our hearts (and, for some, our savings), but we’re ending the year without an agreement on size. In fact, when we look at celebrity style, the stars seem split between Team Tiny and Team Oversized. We’ve found ourselves in a real Goldilocks situation here.

It’s safe to say we reached peak tiny bag with Simon Porte Jacquemus’s Le Chiquito, a comically small purse that was more of a fashion statement than it was a functional object. But the fact that these little bags weren’t able to carry more than, like, a few loose Tic Tacs, hasn’t stopped the hype. This year, celebrities continued to embrace the micro purse–albeit, with a step up in terms of usability.

Both Gigi Hadid and Sofie Richie Grainge embraced the Loro Piana Extra Pocket Mini Pouch, a bag with 9x15x3 centimeter dimensions. (Mind you, that’s not much bigger than an iPhone 16.) Richie Grainge even went so far as to Birkin-ify her bag with a pink Loewe elephant charm. Elle Fanning opted for a similar silhouette with a black intrecciato Bottega Bang Bang. Meanwhile, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez each opted for little bags—Rih with a denim Louis Vuitton Speedy and J.Lo with a Fendi Peekaboo.

Other celebrities proved themselves master schleppers, although none more so than Katie Holmes. The actor, who is starring in a Broadway production of Our Town, was regularly spotted carrying filled-to-the-brim totes that rivaled Miu Miu’s overflowing bags from spring 2024. Some, like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, opted for a more-is-more approach, carrying around bags that weren’t just oversized, but furry. (RiRi wore a Saint Laurent crossbody while Kardashian showed off two different colors of an ERL bag.)

Perhaps it just comes down to purse philosophy. Are you the type to carry around everything you might ever need in your one short life (plus crumpled receipts, a pulverized granola bar, and some aspirin that’s long left its container), or are you but a simple phone, keys, and wallet kind of person? That may just defy any fashion trend.

Below, take a look back at the bags big and small that stood out in 2024.