Fashion has a long history of swinging between extremes, and this spring it’s trending bigger than ever
In Spring 2025, handbags have embraced a bigger is better motto – enter the ludicrously capacious clutch, an accessory so outsized it practically deserves its own seat at the table. Its impracticality hasn’t stopped style arbiters from tucking these giant, handle-less pouches under their arms as the ultimate nonchalant statement. Call it the ‘clutch’ that ate Spring 2025 – absurdly large, oddly chic, and impossible to ignore.
It all started a few years back when Bottega Veneta unleashed the cloud-like Pouch in 2019, redefining the clutch for a new generation. Designer Daniel Lee‘s debut for Bottega turned an unfussy leather sack into the most covetable accessory overnight. Every brand rushed to riff on that slouchy under-the-arm look, and for a moment, it seemed every fashion girlie was effortlessly hugging a pouch. After the Pouch craze peaked, tastes shifted to sleeker ’90s shoulder bags and then to the recent revival of XXL totes. Now, in a twist no one saw coming, those two trends have converged into one: the massively oversized clutch.
The evidence was everywhere on the Spring 2025 runways. Models at Miu Miu and Ferragamo sashayed out holding slouchy leather clutches so large they could probably hide a small dog (or, as one cheeky observer noted, “house their firstborn”). If that weren’t enough, Bottega Veneta doubled down on the trend by reviving its archival Lauren 1980 clutch – the one Lauren Hutton famously carried in American Gigolo – and blowing it up to “Maxi” proportions. When Rihanna herself was spotted nonchalantly carrying Bottega’s new Maxi Lauren 1980 under her arm, it all but confirmed that this supersized style is the moment’s must-have. Rihanna could sling a bed pillow under her arm and make it look cool, so a giant woven Bottega clutch in her grasp instantly sent fashion tongues wagging.
And it’s not just Bottega – practically every designer is supersizing the clutch. Ferragamo delivered a luxe twist on the vintage coin purse at its Spring 2025 show, unveiling an oversized frame clutch that felt equal parts nostalgic and novel. Maximilian Davis, the house’s creative director, reimagined the brand’s popular Hug bag as this envelope-style clutch, yielding a roomy yet softly structured silhouette. Loewe has its cushiony Flamenco bag now offered in a Large Clutch version, basically a sumptuous leather pillow with a discreet logo. Originally launched in the 1970s, Loewe’s Flamenco bag was relaunched by designer Jonathan Anderson to great acclaim. The latest Large version takes the Flamenco’s defining features – the drawstring top with chunky knotted tassels – and upsizes them. Even avant-garde labels and high-street brands are churning out puffy, blanket-sized clutches in every material, from buttery napa to woven raffia, to capitalize on the craze. If you crave that “I just casually grabbed this enormous bag on my way out” vibe, the options are endless.
Why exactly is this impractical accessory having a moment? Perhaps it’s a palate cleanser after seasons of tiny impractical bags (nothing like swinging to the opposite extreme), or maybe it’s the next step in our collective obsession with comfort-everything. The aesthetic appeal is also undeniable – there’s an effortless cool in carrying a bag under your arm, a shrug that says you’re too chic to need straps. Blowing that proportion up to tote size just amplifies the drama and the irony.
Of course, the oversized clutch comes with a healthy dose of irony. Part of its allure is that it’s so over-the-top. No one is pretending a bag this size is sensible. In fact, its awkwardness is the point – it’s fashion’s way of having a laugh. There’s something deliciously contrarian about clutching a bag that can fit your laptop, lunch, and maybe a change of shoes, yet offers none of the convenience of a shoulder strap. It forces you to carry it, quite literally, like a baby (tucked in the crook of your arm) or pressed to your side like you’re guarding state secrets.
Love it or loathe it, the giant clutch is firmly in the fashion conversation this season. In an age when practicality often takes a backseat to personal style expression, lugging around a plush, oversized pouch feels like a tongue-in-cheek style flex. Sure, your arm might tire and you’ll have to resist the urge to sling it over your shoulder, but suffering (even mildly) for fashion is part of the tradition. Besides, if anyone side-eyes you, you can just smile knowing your bag could double as a pillow when you need a rest from being fabulous. In 2025, bigger is better, and the oversized clutch is ready to be acknowledged.
