Sunglasses! Sneakers! Jewelry! Here Are the Top 2025 Accessories That Will Replace 2024 Styles
This year, designers across the board are championing a return to individualism, after even the most eccentric dressers abandoned color in pursuit of a muted, quiet luxury aesthetic. The overall message from the spring 2025 collections was to find your own styling beat outside of clickbait trends—if oatmeal-hued cashmere is aligned with your own personal style, then certainly don’t abandon minimalism now. However, if you tend to naturally err toward bolder designs, labels such as Prada, Valentino, and Loewe ushered in a creative approach with an "anti-algorithm" message that encouraged offbeat styling choices beyond the mainstream.
As always, it is important to view the trend cycle through a critical, personal lens, filtering out the pieces that won’t have any longevity in your own wardrobe. If you live in gray and black, then the maximalist mood with tapestry prints and intricate fabric won’t be for you. The key accessories for 2025 are a fine balance between classic, minimalist designs and statement pieces that add oodles of personality to any outfit. In the latter camp, we saw plenty of layered belts that function more like jewelry, oversize statement sunglasses, and colorful jewels.
Classic leather accessories, however, were moved forward with a focus on silhouette and craftsmanship. In the handbag department, we will see clutch bags with blown-up proportions thanks to Coach and a modern take on a classic top-handle doctor bag, as seen at The Row and Miu Miu. As for shoes, one trend that feels really fresh for 2025 is the new twist on a peep-toe pump, with designers like ACNE and Alaïa offering a more directional proposition. Keep reading for seven accessories you will see in every street style gallery this year.
One jewelry trend that feels really fresh for 2025 is the use of color, a move away from the muted gold chains that have taken over in recent years. At Bottega Veneta, baroque pearls were given a modern update in a vibrant shade of jade green, while Saint Laurent's collection featured oversize earrings with ruby and emerald center stones.
Top-handle bags have been popular over the last few seasons. However, for 2025 the dominant silhouette is doctor holdalls, which typically have a rectangular structured body and long curved handles. Handbag heavyweights Miu Miu, Hermès, Jil Sander, and The Row are all behind this trend.
Instead of piled-on jewelry, designers added personality to outfits with stacked belts. This was a key styling trick at Miu Miu (a brand that always sets the agenda for the next cool thing), as well as at Zimmermann and Ralph Lauren. This looks best when you layer three separate belts, mixing textures and colors, pairing wide leather styles next to intricate chain belts.
One handbag release Who What Wear editors are really excited about for 2025 is Coach’s glovetanned leather Kisslock Frame Bag—an oversize twist on a classic coin purse. Confirmation that the Kisslock is destined for It-bag status came when Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted with a burgundy iteration while filming the third season of And Just Like That. If it's good enough for Carrie…
Peep-toe shoes have made a triumphant revival for 2025, but they have been modernized and given a sleek image overhaul. Instead of the pumps that dominated in the aughts, these have a more sculptural design, with minimal slits and off-kilter cutouts. They were a key feature in the Miu Miu collection, paired with knitted leg warmers, while Alaïa had square-toe pumps with an upside-down V cutout, which are destined to be a cult street style item in 2025. Carven, Khaite, ACNE, and Tory Burch are all contributing to the hype surrounding the 2.0 peep toe.
In recent years, sportswear giants like Adidas and New Balance have had huge commercial success mining their own archives and rereleasing retro styles. Design codes from the '70s and '80s continue to dominate the sneaker landscape—Loewe's S/S 25 collection, for example, modernized a retro boxing shoe and Puma Speedcats featured across the spring collections.
Across the spring collections there was a celebration of personal, anti-algorithm style, and one way that designers added personality to looks was with offbeat, statement sunglasses. At Prada, these erred toward the futuristic, but they weren’t all this avant-garde—at Miu Miu, Loewe, Saint Laurent, and Zimmermann, narrow shades were replaced with oversize aviators that have a quirky design sensibility.
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