There's a worm in my brain that feeds exclusively on tracking down every new tote bag Katie Holmes buys. Last year, her most-carried picks included Bevza's slim white shopper, Khaite's Amelia tote bag in both black and tan leather, and Mansur Gavriel's Everyday Soft Tote. But a new year naturally calls for a new carryall, and it didn't take long for the Dawson's Creek alum to deliver.
Her latest acquisition, however, has proven a bit harder to identify. Largely free of any obvious design signatures, this medium-sized pebbled black leather purse is the quietest of quiet luxuries.
The bag first appeared on the actor's arm on Jan. 10 when she wore it with a shearling coat and '80s-inspired sneakers from Autry. An unabashed outfit-repeater, the 46-year-old was spotted wearing the mysterious bag and chunky white tennis shoes again on a Jan. 15 pit stop at Starbucks. This time, she traded her sheepskin Kuzyk jacket and light wash straight-leg jeans for a double-breasted black wool coat and wide-leg denim trousers. But the accessories were unmistakably the same.
At first glance, a number of possibilities came to mind. Mango and Cuyana both offer accessibly priced black leather totes with similarly textured exteriors. But the size and shape of Holmes's new bag felt closer to the dimensions of pricier options from Akris and Roberto Cavalli. For a moment, it felt like my investigation had hit a dead-end. Then, I struck gold when I stumbled across Aspinal of London's East-West tote bag. Instantly, I knew I'd cracked the case.
The East-West bag trend was a slow burn before it finally broke through in 2024, thanks to The Row's EW Margaux Bag and Idaho Tote as well as Alaïa's Le Teckel. From there, it felt like nearly every major fashion house—from Louis Vuitton and Loewe to Bottega Veneta and Hermès—found a way to reimagine their most popular styles to fit the moment. But there's no sign of the horizontal accessories trend slowing down in 2025, with celebrities like Keke Palmer embracing the wave with her Dior Lady D-Joy bag and Zendaya flashing her East-West diamond engagement ring everywhere she goes. So if you've been wondering whether to scoop up Freja's Hailey Bieber-approved $258 Caroline bag or not, consider this your cosmic sign to cop it. Katie Holmes's version might be anonymous for now, but she clearly agrees this trend's here to stay.
