7 best belt bags to wear this summer

The bumbag has grown up

Small and perfectly formed: bags in a range of colours and materials (iStock/The Independent)

Coming somewhere between the clutch and the crossbody bag is this season’s new way to carry your essentials: the belt bag.

Wear it looped through the belt loops on your trousers (which we think looks best) or slung over one shoulder where it hangs across your chest.

Gucci’s oval quilted black belt bag with the double GG monogram is a cult classic and became a huge hit on Instagram, and now other brands and designs have followed suit with their own take in a range of colours and materials, from wicker to clear plastic.

Whether you’re using it as a day bag to wear over a spring jacket, or as a more sophisticated version of the Eighties bumbag teamed with denim shorts at a festival or day party, we love this style where the bag becomes an even more important part of your outfit.

Here’s our favourite selection from the high street and designers.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Cos detachable leather belt bag: £45, Cos stores

Known for its clean-lined designs and cool simplicity, Cos has produced a bag that fits perfectly with this brand. The bag is one of the smallest we tested, but no less lovely. The soft leather envelope-style pouch is small, but there’s enough room for the essentials and the black detachable belt is easy to adjust, and fits nicely through belt loops. We like wearing it across our chest too. It also comes in cognac and white, and in two sizes.

Buy now

Urban Outfitters structured wicker belt bag: £25, Urban Outfitters

Wicker is 2019’s must-have material for bags, and we love this cute little barrel-shaped belt version. It’s big enough to get your phone, cardholder, keys and other little essentials in and the thin belt easily slots through your trouser belt loops. There’s also a handy second loop to keep any excess strap under control.

Buy now

Accessorize Yvonne belt bag: £20, Accessorize

This lovely little slim bag has two compartments: one main zipped one and a little magnetic-close pocket on the front for easy access to your goods. We love the mixture of materials, from the tan leather main compartment to the contrasting stone-coloured woven front pocket. This is an easy-to-wear slim bag that holds more than enough for a night out or a stroll in the park.

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Mango zip detail bag: £19.99, Mango

This bag feels more like a glorified bumbag thanks to its front main zip and side clip fastening instead of an actual belt, but we love the sleek design of the pouch that easily carries more than just your phone and card holder, while not being too chunky. It comes in snake print, burgundy and black, which is our favourite. We also like wearing this one diagonally across our chest.

Buy now

Topshop dazzler belt bag: £22, Topshop

Another trend for this season is plastic, and nowhere have we seen it more than bags. This boxy perspex bag has a tortoiseshell front clip fastening that we think adds just enough detail to bring this to life – just remember everyone can see inside, so don’t put anything you’d prefer people not to see in this one.

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Zara animal print crossbody belt bag, yellow: £15.99, Zara

This is the slimmest – and brightest – of all the bags we tested, and our favourite part of this one is the chain belt fastening, which means you can easily make this fit either around your waist or lower. The semicircular bag does have a little bit of width in it if you need to carry something chunkier around. The inside is lined and the magnetic closure is very strong. We think this looks best worn with black outfits.

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Lutz Morris Evan grained leather belt bag, £595

It’s the most expensive on the list by a long way, but this beautifully crafted leather bag in baby blue is luxurious and just so well made. Well, it was made in Germany, so that’s kind of to be expected. It pops open with two little button clasps, and has two slim pockets on the side facing you. We like the wide belt with its popper fasteners and the fact it can easily slide out to be used as a clutch too.

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The verdict: Belt bags

We really love the Cos detachable leather belt bag for its sleek design and versatility. For something a little brighter, we also liked wearing the Zara animal print crossbody belt bag, which we got a lot of compliments for.