Social media called, and they are throwing it back to 2016 this week now that we have officially entered 2026—a decade on from a year that defined social media and the fashion landscape. 2016 was the year of many things. It was the year fashion bloggers started blowing up on Instagram, the year Olivier Rousteing solidified the Kardashians as the faces of the Balmain army, the year of the black choker, and the year in-app filters were still alive and well. Simply put, 2016 was a crazy time for the culture. Beyoncé's Lemonade was released, every grocery store was playing The Chainsmokers "Closer" (bop), Trump won his first election and America has been downhill ever since. It was wild.
I digress, with 2016 fashion on our minds, it's likely that some of the bygone trends will be resurrected alongside all of these cultural throwbacks, and one thing fashion likes to recycle, is It-bags. From the beloved Proenza Schouler PS1 bag to Phoebe Philo's Celine Clasp bags, ahead are all of the 2016 It-bags that we predict will have a comeback this year.
Proenza Schouler PS1
The Proenza Schouler PS1 bag is arguably one of the most iconic silhouettes of 2016. The shape had fashion bloggers in a chokehold along with skinny jeans and cropped tees. The satchel is the perfect size for the big bag boom of 2025/2026, and with a new creative director at the helm of Proenza Schouler (in Diotima's Rachel Scott), we're anticipating that the PS1 will have a renewed boom this year.
Celine Clasp Bag
Phoebephile's will remember well the grip that the Celine Clasp bag had on the fashion girlies back in 2016. Debuting for Celine's Spring/Summer 2017 show which was helmed by Phoebe Philo at the time, the bag swiftly shot to popularity as a beacon of elegance and—before the term was coined—quiet luxury. This silhouette should never have stopped having its moment, and 2026 seems like the perfect time for Celine to recommission the shape.
Gucci Dionysus
Picture it: the year is 2016 and Alessandro Michele has the fashion industry in a headlock, and the Gucci Dionysus is at the centre of his boom as the whimsical creative director. Flap bags had a huge moment back in 2016, and the Dionysus was the ultimate status symbol for those buying what Michele was selling. Now that Demna is at the helm of the brand—a man famed for his play with logo, motif, and subversion, we can very much see a world in which the Dionysus thrives once again this year.
Balenciaga Shopper Tote
In the interim of Balenciaga's Le City popularity, the brand, newly under the direction of Demna, had another popular bag moment in the Bazaar tote—a silhouette that mimicked plastic storage and laundry bags only in supple striped lambskin instead. Giant bags aren't going anywhere this year, and the Bazaar Shopping Tote will have another moment again.
Chanel Boy Bag
Chanel's best recognized bag is arguably the classic flap bag, but back in 2016, the Boy Bag was having a true moment. Designed by the late Karl Lagerfeld, the Boy Bag had all of the makings of the classic flap, with a tomboy edge. The chain was bulkier, the clasp featured square hardware framing the interlocking CC's, and the shape was more rectangular.
