8 Designer Buys That Have Reached Cult Status Among Fashion Insiders in 2024

The Luxury List is a monthly column on all things luxury, tapping the foremost experts in the fashion space to explore everything from craftsmanship deep dives to the little-known details to consider when buying fine jewelry.

The year in luxury fashion has pointed to a new direction for the designer space. Elegance became a defining aesthetic that shaped style 2024, with the return of pillbox hats and an uptick in top-handle bags. We have also seen a rising interest in pieces that go beyond trends—including timeless investment items and renewed interest in classic heritage brands. Little luxuries including silk scarves and charms became big as everyone accessorized and personalized their bags. Shake-ups at the top of major fashion houses dominated conversations among style insiders and made an impact on where people are shopping.

These overarching themes in fashion translated to the top-selling products and the in-demand pieces that have reached cult status among style insiders. Many of the year's hottest buys include accessories ranging from a century-old watch and a classic silk scarf to the bags and hats every fashion person added to their closet. Ahead, take a closer look at the best designer shopping buys that dominated in 2024 and remain smart pieces to invest in now.

Cartier Tank Watch

In the past several years, more women are entering the watch space than ever—both as experts and shoppers. As this market reaches new heights of growth, watches are a key shopping category in the luxury space. While there are plenty of in-demand timepieces, one specific style won out in 2024: the Cartier tank watch. Specifically, we've seen an uptick in popularity for the Louis and Must styles set along a leather band.

Chanel 22 Mini Bag

The Chanel 22 bag became an It item immediately when it was released among luxury shoppers and the fashion set, as well as a modern classic for Chanel. This was cemented when it again appeared on the runway for the brand's S/S 23 collection in a mini version. The shrunken bag has proven to be so popular that it is now a core collector's bag from Chanel, and there are just-dropped iterations arriving on the market in new colorways and textiles.

Hermès Scarf

Bags have entered their messy era as they become "Birkin-ified" both on and off the runway as handbags became heavily accessorized with scarves, charms, and other personalized elements—essentially an ode to Jane Birkin who famously wore her Hermès bag this way. This ushered in a new era of personalization in fashion in 2024 that made the Hermès silk scarf an essential styling piece to make bags feel completely unique.

Polo Ralph Lauren Cable-Knit Sweaters

Ralph Lauren has always stood for the height of timeless style and American fashion. In 2024, the iconic heritage brand captured the zeitgeist and entered the Lyst Index in 14th place for this Q4. The brand's enduring classics have resonated in new ways, including the cable-knit sweater which has become a collector's item for fashion insiders.

Alaïa Le Teckel Bag

The Alaïa Le Teckel stands out as one of the most important new bags introduced in 2024. The sophisticated bag is finished with long handles and smooth leather, and the elongated shape falls into the east-west handbag trend that took over this year. This style continues to sell out at practically every retailer, and continues to be dropped in new colors and finishes (including the new-in suede versions) which shows that popularity is the Le Teckel is really just getting started.

Gigi Burris Pillbox Hat

Highly-accessorized bags may have kicked off the year of hyper-personalized looks but it evolved beyond that with other outfit-finishing items. One of the most significant? The pillbox hat. With the rise of hats on the runways, we predicted that 2024 would be the year of the hat early in the year, but it exploded on the fashion scene in an even bigger way than we could have imagined as pieces such as the Gigi Burris felt pillbox hats became a mainstay in the wardrobes of the style set everywhere from fashion month to the streets of New York.

Tory Burch Pieced Heels

The Toryssance continued from 2023 into this year. Pieces from the designer are highly coveted by the fashion set, especially new core accessories that have emerged on the runway recently. A standout includes the coveted pierced shoes that drop in new iterations each season, including the slingback kitten heels that all but took over in looks on the front row during fashion month.

Bottega Veneta Andiamo Bag

While the Bottega Veneta Andiamo was first released in 2023, it remains one of the most coveted bags in the luxury market. Bottega Veneta continues to release updated versions of its popular bag. In 2024, we were introduced to smooth leather versions of the tote as well as an intrecciato clutch style. On the spring 2024 runways, we saw continued investment in the Andiamo bag style with a crocodile-embossed version that is primed to be in demand next year.