At Who What Wear we’re specialists in spotting trends long before they happen, so if the number of editors in the office sporting the same COS Crossbody bag last year taught us anything, it was that the leather crossbody bag is a new cult classic. All of the hallmarks are there after all–the practicality: your hands are free to juggle a myriad of tasks, the price point: you can find quality leather bags starting from around £80, so you don’t need to spend three figures, and of course the look: the leather crossbody is a minimalists dream, and there’s no better bag for every outfit than the sleek sling style. 

Flash forward to 2023 and the COS crossbody is still a top seller, but so too is The Row’s banana bag, Loewe’s Gate bag and Lemaire’s croissant, a clear sign that the days of the teeny, tiny tote are well and truly over (and could not come soon enough). 

Need further proof? It helps that one of the biggest viral hits of the year is Uniqlo’s crossbody bag. Granted, it doesn’t come in leather (quite yet), but the easy, throw-on style became an overnight success, and turned a whole new generation of shoppers onto the benefits of the sling bag. The next thing we knew, the high-street was awash with crossbody styles, and designers are investing even more heavily in luxe leather and longwearing styles that prove to be a sensible investment. So, what exactly does one wear with a crossbody bag?

So if you’re looking for a hardworking bag that not only carries all of your essentials but looks chic while doing it too, it’s time to shelve your totes in favour of the leather crossbody bag trend. I promise it’s well worth it’s cost per wear (cross my heart). 

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