Increasingly, accessories have become their own kind of main character in the fashion world, fading from their former status as accompaniments to ready-to-wear looks. The spring 2026 collections—shown in New York, London, Milan, and Paris in September and October—more than proved that fact. With so many designer debuts and sophomore collections taking the stage this season (especially at heritage leather-goods houses like Chanel, Dior, Celine, and Loewe) it was high time for creative directors to pour their personalities into bags, shoes, hats, sunglasses, jewelry, and more. They did so in spades, bringing each piece to life on the catwalk. Below are the 14 biggest accessories trends we saw during Fashion Month, which will surely be all over the streets by the time the leaves bloom again next year.
Pocketbook Change
One of our favorite spring 2026 trends was the continuation of what we dubbed last season the “Twisted Lady” look. For fall 2025, designers seemed enamored with the idea of a proper dame gone slightly mad, and many of them sent bags down the runway that were slightly off. For spring 2026, a modern update was applied to the classic pocketbook—at Bottega Veneta and Celine, and for Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut, which featured the new Ciale Bag, designed after the silhouette of Christian Dior’s Cigale dress from the 1950s.
From left: Bottega Veneta, Dior and Celine
She’s Come Undone
Another hallmark aspect of the updated Twisted Lady: a look we’re calling “She’s Come Undone,” which calls for belts, bags, and other baubles intentionally styled incorrectly. Valentino’s heels were seemingly held together with tape, while Versace and Louis Vuitton left both their bags and their belts unbuckled. Fendi, Loewe, and Chanel had their bags hanging wide open as models walked down the runway.
From left: Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Versace
Pile On
More is still more. Amid minimal looks from houses like Alaïa, there were alternately enormously decorated outfits for spring 2026. The Row came up with super-chic hair combs; Torisheju might’ve pulled inspiration from the children’s book Caps for Sale. Beaded necklaces at Chanel and Celine were, quite literally, piled on, as were belts at Chopova Lowena.
From left: Chanel, Celine, Moschino, Torisheju, Chopova Lowena, and Jean Paul Gaultier
Indecent Woman!
She’s proper on paper, but peculiar in practice—and she’s the talk of the town. There was an endless amount of commentary on women’s roles in society this season. We saw the messaging come through in footwear that, like their bag counterparts, were a tad weird. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson added bunny ears to Roger Vivier’s original Dior heels. Chloe made plastic kitten heels a 1950s housewife might rock. Prada’s heels looked like they were being held together by string. Matthieu Blazy’s take on Chanel’s classic cap-toe shoe ties back to his days at Bottega Veneta, with a color palette nodding to Italian terrazzo and mint gelato.
From left: Chloé, Dior, Prada, Chanel, Lanvin and Bottega Veneta
Natural Selection
Turquoise pendants, stones that would skip perfectly over water, glowing salt crystals—these were some of the more grounded accessories that brands made, which were inspired by Mother Nature herself. Oyster shell bucket bags at Loewe were chic and au naturel, while Versace applied graffiti to its rock necklaces.
From left: Schiaparelli, Loewe, and Versace
Far From Wooden
Wood and rattan were major materials of inspiration for spring. At Miu Miu, the latter was used for a chic handbag that slightly resembled your grandmother’s porch chairs (in a good way). Bottega Veneta’s clog, meanwhile, came with a woven Intrecciato body and a wooden heel.
From left: Miu Miu and Bottega Veneta
Everyday Elevation
This season, everyday footwear like sneakers and flip-flops were given the Special Occasion Treatment—embellished with gilded feathers (Rabanne) or done in sumptuous satin (Prada). At Dries Van Noten, deep blue sneakers were made of eel skin, and Carven and Rabanne studded their sandals with pearls.
From left: Dries van Noten, Rabanne and Prada
Soft Power
Evening bags have lost their edge—sort of. In the place of hard clutches and blocky minaudières were soft, cinched pouches for spring 2026. Prada did its version in satin, while Loewe opted for the most supple leather and Valentino’s came with artful beading.
From left: Prada, Loewe and Valentino
Groundbreaking Florals (For Real This Time)
Each spring, we in the fashion industry make some kind of Devil Wears Prada-adjacent joke about florals being groundbreaking. But this time, we really mean it—many designers this season swapped flowery prints for 3-D florals, crafted with their house codes in mind. Jonathan Anderson was inspired by Vivier’s La Rose shoe, which was first designed for Christian Dior in the ’50s. Silvia Venturini Fendi was inspired by both eggs and flowers, and channeled their jolly pastel vibes on bags and heels. Frilly floral Chloé purses were modeled after 1940s swim caps.
From left: Fendi, Dior and Chloé
Never Neutral
The vast majority of bags and shoes that walked this season were done in bright hues, especially primary colors and super-saturated tones. Fendi’s hot-pink bags were matched with a cranberry red, while Celine’s butter-yellow skirt came with a pair of electric-blue shoes.
From left: Fendi, Celine and Miu Miu
Straight Outta the Louvre
Less than two weeks after Paris Fashion Week wrapped, thieves broke into the Louvre and stole jewelry worth millions of dollars. Designers’ baubles for spring 2026 seemed darkly prescient in their Baroque designs and museum-ready gemstone size. From Gothic pieces at Saint Laurent to lighthearted jewel stickers at Julie Kegels, the message was clear: this trend is fit for a queen.
From left: Simone Rocha, Julie Kegels and Saint Lauren
Mad Hatter
The hats this season redefined the term “whimsical.” At Dior, Anderson paid homage to former house designer John Galliano with structured tricorne hats. Chanel had caps made of soft plumes of red feather, calling once more to Blazy’s time at the helm of Bottega Veneta. Alaïa, meanwhile, was inspired by Constantin Brâncuși, whose artful shapes informed headwear silhouettes.
From left: Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli
A Cinderella Story
The lucite footwear look has just gotten a modern upgrade. From Loewe’s molded booties—some of which were worn with colorful socks, or pedicures—to Chloé’s pointy kitten heels, there was a glass slipper to fit everyone.
From left: Loewe, Maison Margiela and Chloé
Out of Sight
No bad views here. This season, sunglasses provided an escape from reality, with enormous sculpted goggles at Rabanne, alien-esque rhinestones at Balenciaga, and Valentino’s diamanté cat eyes.
From left: Rabanne, Balenciaga and Valentino
