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"Girlie" trends have had us in their grips for months. And not just us — it's also taken over the street style at fashion month. Bows have adorned even the most classic of women's hair, bags, dresses, and shoes; while bright and playful shearling and pastel gingham have lent a maximalist edge to countless winter outfits.
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Based on the street style this fashion month, we're not taking our outfits too seriously in 2024, which means we're certainly not shying away from a bold accessory. The current trend towards playfulness has seen many of us permit ourselves to shop with joy in mind, instead of thinking of what trends are "in" right now. And at Paris and New York Fashion Week, we've seen yet another maximalist trend re-emerge: oversized key rings and bag charms.
Spotted at even the most buttoned-up events, oversized bag charms offer a colourful and playful counterpoint to an otherwise neutral bag.
Outside Hermès, Leia Sfez wore a Kelly bag decorated with an I Heart NY key ring amongst a collection of quirky clashing charms. Meanwhile, Fendi Peekaboo bags were spotted across Paris adorned with the brand's micro Peekaboo bag charms, and in New York, a Miu Miu Arcadie Nappa leather tote bag was decorated with bright pastel rope and acrylic key rings (as shown above).
There's one obvious reference that the street style set is clearly taking cues from — Jane Birkin. Birkin was never one to shy away from both personalising and beating up her eponymous Hermés Birkin bag, and she was also known to use her bag as a form of protest. But as she admitted herself, adding bag charms was also done to simply spark joy. "I just thought it was more fun to hang things off it," she once said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, adding that all the "baubles and bangles and beads, when you just walk around, they jingle and jangle, so it's a happy sound".
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Birkin was doing dopamine dressing before any of us, and if a woman who is synonymous with effortlessly chic style also embraced a playful bag charm, why wouldn't we? Birkin is proof that we can experiment with our style, while still maintaining a uniform that feels timeless and fun. And TikTok is taking note, too, where decorating your bag like Jane Birkin or "Jane Birkinifying Your Bag" is picking up steam, with 22.2 million video views at the time of writing.
When it comes to embracing the oversized bag charms of 2024, we suggest mixing textures or looking around your apartment for charms you may already have lying around. Strings of beads, key rings you've held on to from high school, ribbons, and chains all work, and there are plenty of inspiration videos on TikTok, ranging from thrifting and upcycling bag charms, to turning your favourite tube of lip balm into a keyring.
If you're looking to invest in a charm for the longer term, we especially love how designer key rings are able to bridge the gap between luxury and accessible fashion. A designer bag can be playfully dressed down with a bag charm in the same way that a luxury bag charm can dress up even the most affordable bag in your current collection.
Meanwhile, brands like Sandy Liang, Coach, and the souvenir shop in your closest city are offering a low-commitment way to inject some personality into your wardrobe. Our bags are about to become a lot more fun.
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