If there was one characteristic that defined handbags in the last few years, it was that they swelled up and lost structure. Our favourite styles were bloated, big and capable of fitting all of our baggage (especially the emotional kind). Now, as 2026 unfurls, it seems as though wide styles – known formally as East-West handbags – will become the year's trademark.

The design is given the name East-West for its horizontal shape. I like to imagine the handbag as the next size up from a continental wallet or "long lady wallet" as Liana Satenstein has dubbed it. There's something elegant about the shape – easily tucked under your arm like a clutch or grasped between a few fingertips. While the East-West handbag screams "person on a mission," it's less cumbersome than a carry-all tote like the ludicrously capacious handbag of Succession fame. One cannot fit a laptop in an East-West handbag, though they might carry a newspaper, a hairbrush, a wad of cash, a fan or mail.

However, recent updates on the East-West bag by Alaïa, Balenciaga or Khaite are slimmer than past variations, a riff on the tiny bag trend but with the exception of room to fit a tube of Dior lip gloss. Without further ado, find our round up of the best East-West bags you can buy right now, below.

Balenciaga Le City East West

Staud Port Tote

ALAÏA Le Teckel Bag

Prada Bonnie Medium Leather Handbag

Olend Dumpling Bag

Charles & Keith Hazel Bow Shoulder Bag

Pleats Please Issey Miyake Boston Bag

Rabanne Gold 1969 Clutch Bag

Bottega Venet Pinacoteca

Christopher Esber Gondola Suede Mini Tote

A.P.C. Le Drummer Tote

Isabel Marant Tilpa Bag

Chloé Paddington

KHAITE Simona Suede Shoulder Bag

Louis Vuitton Squire East West

Longchamp Le Pliage Xtra

Bottega Veneta Daisy Andiamo Clutch

If you're wondering what kind of bag to invest in next, check out our list of 9 handbag trends we’re predicting will be everywhere in 2026.

Image: IMDb