Practicality, it seems, has finally stopped being the main requirement for a fashion bag. In the 2026 collections, designers are turning accessories into porcelain objects, animals, food, footwear and almost museum-grade sculptures. The Wave RBC.UA editorial team has gathered the season's most unexpected models, and in this overview we explore how leading fashion houses — from Dior and Schiaparelli to Loewe, Balenciaga and Chanel — are reimagining the familiar accessory, turning it into an object of decorative art.
Porcelain, chintz and botany: Dior
One of the season's most striking bags was the clutch from Dior's 2026 autumn couture collection, presented by Jonathan Anderson. According to the publication's description, some of the models looked more like pieces from a porcelain cabinet: they were crafted from porcelain and adorned with three-dimensional water lilies. In other versions, the designer used antique Indian chintz. The entire collection was permeated with botanical motifs — ferns, flowers and garden imagery — so even the bags became part of this botanical story.
Schiaparelli's surrealism: feet and muzzles
Daniel Roseberry once again confirmed that Schiaparelli has no intention of making "merely pretty" accessories. In the 2026 autumn ready-to-wear collection, what at first glance looked like classic handbags were given feet resembling chicken ones, on which they literally stood. The surreal ensemble was completed by shoes with the muzzles of cats and Dobermans. For Schiaparelli, such a novelty is perfectly logical: Elsa Schiaparelli herself built the brand's aesthetic on surrealism and visual provocation.
Moschino's gastronomy and irony
If Schiaparelli chose animals, Moschino went into gastronomy. In the autumn-2026 collection, Adrian Appiolaza turned to his Argentine roots, but did so in the brand's customary ironic manner: a leather bag with artificial churros sticking out of it appeared on the runway. This was far from the only accessory joke — the designer also showed a cactus-shaped clutch and a piggy-bank bag, so choosing the most surprising model at Moschino this season is virtually impossible.
JW Anderson and Loewe: footwear, shells and blown glass
Jonathan Anderson has long turned strange bags into one of the calling cards of his own brand, JW Anderson. His current lineup includes the Loafer Bag, which literally replicates the shape of a classic men's loafer — the model comes in various sizes and in leather, suede and woven materials. Among the novelties is also the Shell Clutch — a silver clutch resembling a large seashell — while the brand's signature animal bags (dove, hedgehog and yellow canary) continue to sell. Since Jack McCollough and Lazard Hernandez's arrival at Loewe, it has become clear that the brand's love for craftsmanship and unusual materials has not disappeared: in their debut spring-summer 2026 collection, clutches made from hand-blown glass appeared, which the house highlighted as a separate accent alongside footwear folded almost in the technique of origami.
Balenciaga and Chanel: the couture version of iconic shapes
Pieterpaolo Piccioli decided not to invent a new shape for Balenciaga, but took one of the brand's most famous bags — the City Bag — and elevated it to couture level. In the 2026 autumn Haute Couture collection, the accessory appeared in a version covered in shimmering silver metal, as well as in a model made of pinkish-gold crystal mesh. The effect is amplified by contrast: the City Bag became iconic precisely thanks to its soft, slightly slouchy shape, whereas now the familiar silhouette has been turned almost into a jewel. In the Chanel Resort 2027 cruise collection, Matthieu Blazy brought the house's aesthetic to the beach in Biarritz: alongside giant straw baskets, he showed a special version of the iconic quilted Chanel bag — a lattice model made of blue resin. According to Blazy himself, the bag is waterproof, so you can literally wade into the water with it; the sea-inspired collection also featured shells, corals, starfish and mermaid imagery.
The marine theme and Simon Miller
The theme of marine creatures has become a story of its own among the surprising accessories. Simon Miller has been actively experimenting with bags in the shape of animals and fruits in its 2026 collections: one of the most notable novelties was a fish-shaped clutch, hand-carved from mango wood. The brand also offers woven Fish Bags, fish-shaped models decorated with seashells, and a yellow bunch-of-bananas bag. The season's fish motif is vividly demonstrated by beaded, sequined fish bags with a handle, assembled from multicolored glass and beads — a holiday wardrobe literally brought to life.
