Ride on with the latest arm candy

The fall-winter 2026 Gucci handbag collection has landed at the Greenbelt 5 flagship store, just in time for what is officially the world’s longest holiday season. As we begin to pencil celebratory events onto our calendars and consider bringing out the Christmas décor, on which dust has hardly had time to settle, can thoughts of new arm candy be far behind?

This latest iteration of Gucci’s Horsebit Duomo, Horsebit Ristretto and Jetset Marmont carries on a tradition begun by Guccio Gucci, who opened his namesake atelier in 1921. Inspired by his days working as a porter for the luxury hotel in London, where he was attracted to the stylish luggage and bags of the guests, he returned to his native Florence to begin what is today a major global fashion brand. His emphasis on quality no doubt propelled the house to its heights as he said, “The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory.”

The horsebit detail one sees in Gucci’s hardware is literally taken from the bit used to control a horse’s movement, and became a symbol of luxury just as dressage and polo games were synonymous with the British upper class. First used on bags in the early 1950s, the horsebit also came to find itself on Gucci shoes, belts, sunglasses and jewelry. 

In the current collection, Gucci creative director Denma sends out the Horsebit Duomo, which is made from glossy leather with a fine grain in black, vivid red and GG canvas. The Horsebit Ristretto, named after the highly concentrated Italian ristretto coffee, is also offered in basic black, vibrant red and GG canvas. Both can be used as handbags, shoulder bags, and can also be worn crossbody.

Other bags from the fall-winter 2026 collection include the Jetset Marmont, made from matelassé leather with the striped fabric bands referred to as the Web, and which also have roots in equestrian sport. The Jackie flap bag, one of the bags inspired by the late Jackie Kennedy, who wore several Gucci bags during her lifetime, is a large bag that can be worn crossbody.