The only thing Katie Holmes loves more than a great winter coat is a fabulous leather bag. She's dabbled in classic silhouettes like Bevza's slim white tote bag, Khaite's camel brown carryall, and Mansur Gavriel's slouchy black shopper as well as trendier options like 11 Juliet's bejeweled crossbody and Freja's ivory east-west shoulder bag. But lately, her favorites all have one thing in common: belt-inspired details.
On Mar. 5, the Dawson's Creek alum took her signature cold-weather outfit formula—chic outerwear layered with denim, flats, and a spacious purse—for a walk around Manhattan. Having retired her beloved Frankie Shop duster for the season, the Broadway star bundled up in a brown herringbone coat with notched lapels and welt pockets at the waist. She folded up the double-breasted jacket's black contrast collar in lieu of a scarf and styled the wool staple piece with wide-leg denim trousers and black leather ballet flats. The ruched elastic trim of her flats instantly reminded me of The Row's popular slip-on style, but just between us, Schutz makes an incredible faux leather version for less.
The mother of one accessorized her chic look with black sunglasses, a wine-red manicure, and a chocolate brown Toteme bucket bag that tapped into belt buckle trend seen elsewhere on Hailey Bieber's Miu Miu Aventure bag, Tibi x L.L. Bean's belted canvas tote bag collaboration, and the Prada Buckle bags that have appeared in the designer's spring 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025 collections. Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike owns both the Prada and L.L. Bean iterations, so consider us personally invested in the trend's long lifespan.
Of course, the belt buckle trend's influence extends far beyond bags. Now, it's a multi-category phenomenon that encompasses shoes, tops, skirts, pants, jackets, coats, and dresses. Soon, I bet even our belts will have belts. Perhaps the fearless Katie Holmes will take the lead on that initiative.
