If your handbag checklist starts with questions like “How much can it fit?” or “Will it survive my daily commute?”, you may want to sit this one out.

This edit is dedicated to a different kind of fashion lover: the romantics, the maximalists, the people who see getting dressed as a form of escapism rather than efficiency. Because while practicality certainly has its place, some accessories exist for one reason alone, to make people smile.

Fashion’s latest obsession with novelty bags proves that luxury doesn’t always have to be serious. Somewhere between the rise of quiet luxury and the dominance of minimalist wardrobes, designers have begun embracing whimsy again, creating bags that look like birds, vegetables, flowers, and even food. The result? Accessories that feel less like handbags and more like wearable conversation starters.

Carrie Bradshaw would probably have mixed feelings about it all. In an early season of Sex and the City, she famously questioned whether a crystal-encrusted swan bag gifted by Mr. Big truly reflected who she was. Fast-forward to And Just Like That… and that same Carrie is happily carrying a pigeon-shaped clutch around New York. Perhaps fashion’s growing appetite for eccentricity has finally won us all over.

From sculptural birds to hyper-realistic vegetables, these are the designer bags proving that fashion is at its best when it remembers how to have fun.

JW Pei MAREN CRYSTAL-EMBELLISHED HEART CLUTCH

Loewe ARTICHOKE CLUTCH IN NAPPA LAMBSKIN

JW Anderson HEDGEHOG RESIN CLUTCH

Olympia Le-Tan RUM PUNCH APPLIQUÉD EMBROIDERED CANVAS CLUTCH

Pucci PICNIC IRIDE SILK TOP-HANDLE BAG

CHLOÉ TROPICUS LEATHER CLUTCH