A mood of intuitive style ran through the S/S 2027 season, seeing designers embrace eclectic combinations to reflect the ‘multiple perspectives and perpetual motion of all our lives’, as British designer Sarah Burton described, referring to her latest collection for Givenchy. It’s a summary that could have been applied to numerous shows this season.
Nowhere was this more true than in accessories: across New York, London, Milan and Paris, designers used bags, shoes, hats, belts, and even boas, to express this liberated approach to dress. Here, with input from the Wallpaper* style editors, we’ve collated the season’s statement-making accessories – from Jil Sander’s inside-out handbags to rain hats at Chemena Kamali’s Chloé.
Tory Burch’s velvet boas
In a collection fully loaded with maximalist accessories (the American designer was in a ‘more is more’ mood), it was Tory Burch’s reimagined boa that stole the show. A far cry from the camp staple of synthetic feathers that shed with abandon, Tory Burch’s boas were constructed from more luxurious plumage: carefully shredded velvet that read as the petals of a flower. India Jarvis
Mulberry’s ‘axe’ bag
As new creative director Christopher Kane took a figurative axe to the Mulberry tree – making space for new growth, as opposed to chopping it down to a stump – the image of a sturdy blade became something of a motif within his debut collection for the brand. Across the ready-to-wear, boxy scalloping resembled notches cut into wood, and slender bags took on the curvature of a metallic axe bit replete with signature padlock. The metaphors write themselves. India Jarvis
McQueen’s ‘armadillo’ bag
It must have been a particularly meaningful collection for Seán McGirr this season, who brought the McQueen brand back home to London after it had spent 25 years showing in Paris. Compounding this, the creative director borrowed from one of the late Lee McQueen’s most memorable creations, the ‘Armadillo’ shoes, which were presented as part of his last fully realised collection, Plato’s Atlantis, which was shown just four months before his death in February 2010. McGirr’s treatment of the armadillo motif for S/S 2027 took the form of a diminutive bag – constructed from rigid, high-shine leather, mimicking a plated armadillo rolling itself up into a defensive ball. India Jarvis
LII’s detachable hoods
Iterations of the humble anorak are mainstay shapes in the design language of the 2026 LVMH Prize Karl Lagerfeld award winner, LII by Zane Li, who this season distilled the garment down to its most essential component: the hood. Detachable hoods in bright waterproof technical fabric were worn fastened to camisoles or dresses, or tied like kerchiefs around the neck, their ties left to hang long. India Jarvis
Celine’s sized-up belts
Just as we saw throughout this summer’s menswear shows, statement belts are making their return to fashion. At Acne Studios, buckles were patterned like antique frames, Givenchy’s were worn double wrapped, and Polo Ralph Lauren presented an eclectic range of styles that riffed on the brand’s American roots. But the biggest statement of all came from Celine – literally – where belts with thick bands had exaggerated buckles, C-curve buckles in brass, cinching and adding drama to full monochrome looks. India Jarvis
Prada’s perforated pumps
Elements of the extraordinary, smile-inducing embellishment that encrusted skirts from the 66-look Prada collection were also applied to footwear – sparkling floral-shaped details studded onto heels like jewels. Kitten heels, sling-back pumps, and stiletto courts were made from graphically perforated leather and came in black, white, or grey, with the crystals perched on the uppers.
Bottega Veneta’s leather flowers
Much like her Bottega Veneta predecessor, Matthieu Blazy, the British designer Louise Trotter is using her runway show sets to forge links with the worlds of art and design: this season, the space included a sound installation by Florian Hecker transmitted by 20 speakers prior to the show’s start (the German artist said that he wanted the aural effect to be ‘weightless and enveloping’) and crushed cardboard-box stools by Illya Goldman Gubin. On top of each stool was a leather flower handcrafted by the house’s leather artisans – a keepsake that turned into Milan Fashion Week’s most covetable accessories, with guests from Jacob Elordi to Julianne Moore grasping theirs as they exited the venue. As for whether they appear in store remains to be seen – though the knitted floral bag charms, also crafted in leather, captured a similar feeling of romance. Jack Moss
Gucci’s horsebit belt
The horsebit is one of Gucci’s perennial motifs: introduced during the early 1950s, it was cemented as a hallmark of bourgeois style with the launch of Aldo Gucci’s horsebit loafer in 1953. Part of a collection that Georgian creative director Demna described as both ‘quintessentially Gucci’ and ‘broken bourgeoisie’, the horsebit featured throughout – whether blown up as the buckle on the back of a fur coat, or shrunken onto the collar of a shirt. It also featured on these triple-layered belts: part-equestrian, part-kink, entirely Demna.
Hèrmes’ layered cuffs
Leather is the foundational material of Hermès – the house began as a harness and bridle maker in 1837 – with its superlative accessories made in workshops across France. For S/S 2027, Nadège Vanhée teamed looks with stacks of leather bracelets – minimal in detailing, the thick bands put leather’s natural finish centre stage, designed to patina and mould to the body through time. Jack Moss
Loewe’s go-faster sunglasses
Sportswear-inspired sunglasses remained ubiquitous on the S/S 2027 runways – Givenchy, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Balmain, Courrèges and Miu Miu all featured, sporty, streamlined styles. Though it was Loewe that provided the platonic ideal of the go-faster sunglasses: crafted from thick acetate branded with the Loewe logo, they wrap around the face to recall those worn by road cyclists and rock climbers, arriving in various neon hues and completed with high-shine mirrored lenses. Jack Moss
Jil Sander’s inside-out handbags
At Bally, Simone Bellotti proved a master of the covetable accessory – his Plume loafers, a lace up-cum-moccasin, remain ubiquitous within style circles today. Now, he brings the same approach to his new role at Jil Sander, from the ‘Hood’ shoe (a minimalist riff on the Wallabee), to brightly hued hosiery and ladylike pumps. For S/S 2027, all eyes were on the bags: a top-handle tote designed to splay open to reveal a colourful contrast lining. It came as part of a collection which rallied against perfection: ‘That idea of perfection at Jil, it’s not enough today, because you can find that many other places,’ he said. ‘Minimalism has become so mainstream.’ Jack Moss
Miu Miu’s New Balance RC 150
Now entering its fifth iteration, Miu Miu’s ongoing New Balance collaboration has spawned some of the most viral sneakers of recent years – from the frayed-edge 574s of S/S 2022 (their first co-branded sneakers), to S/S 2024’s suede 530 SL with their recognisable ‘double’ laces. For S/S 2027, Miuccia Prada puts her riff on the nostalgic RC150 racing sneaker, reimagined with zig-zag embroidery and colourful laces which wrap around the toe. It came as part of a collection which mashed up sportswear with flourishes of glamour. ‘The concept of mixing elements of sports with sophistication is something that has always influenced my work,’ said Mrs Prada. ‘But I have never been so precise, or taken it so far.’ Jack Moss
Chloé’s rain hats
‘May the love that poured into this collection endure forever,’ said the German designer Chemena Kamali of her latest Chloé outing, which is widely believed to be her last (she is tipped to take over at Saint Lauren from Anthony Vaccarello, who confirmed his departure from Saint Laurent last week). Befitting the metaphor, Kamali presented looks fit for a downpour: from colourful raincoats – some overlaid with clear plastic – to dramatic rain hats, sou-wester style and falling away into a draping drape. Jack Moss
Dior’s scarf bags
The silk carré appeared in various iterations throughout the season’s collections, including at Hermès, where its classic foulard was pleated and strapped to the collection’s streamlined tops, while at Burberry, it served as the show’s invitation. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson created a netted Dior bag with two metal hooks on each side: the idea is that you can attach a Dior carré (whether with tassels, petals or whimsical prints) in an act of constant transformation – when you tire of one scarf, you can simply replace it with another for a whole new bag (watch them in action here). Jack Moss
Saint Laurent’s golden heels
Rendered in glimmering shades of gold, Anthony Vaccarello’s S/S 2027 show for Saint Laurent was a fitting swansong for the designer, who evoked the metallic hue to represent fashion’s transformative power (he would leave the house the week after presenting the runway show, marking the end of a ten-year tenure at the Parisian house). The gilded mood went all the way down to the accessories, from opulent blown-up earrings – evocative of the house’s 1980s heyday – to intricate, jewellery-like footwear which appeared hewn from gold. Jack Moss