Anna Sawai Takes Coach's Latest It-Bag for a Business Casual Test-Drive

Anna Sawai on a red carpet wearing her hair down with a coach bag

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 28 February 2025

After earning red carpet gold all awards season long in the likes of Armani Privé (at the SAG Awards) and Dior (at the Golden Globes), Anna Sawai is coming for her street style crown with help from Coach's next fall it-bag.

Sawai was spotted just days ahead of another major ceremony, the 2025 Oscars, strolling through Los Angeles on Feb. 28 in an eternal business casual uniform: a black blazer and straight-leg jeans. She paired her base T-shirt underneath to pointed-toe pumps, and strung a simple gold pendant necklace around her neck. But her casual Friday building blocks came with New York Fashion Week's breakout alternative to the classic leather work tote.

Anna Sawai carries the Coach empire bag while walking in Los Angeles — Anna Sawai strolled in Los Angeles carrying Coach's Empire 34 Carry-All, a breakout style from the label's Fall 2025 runway.

Coach Empire Carryall Bag 34

Sawai carried Coach's Empire 34 Carry-All, a style that made waves the minute it debuted on the label's Park Avenue Armory runway at the start of Fashion Month. The oblong style features two top-handles, a roomy interior compartment, and heaps of insider praise within minutes of its unveiling.

On the runway, each Empire bag was precisely matched to a coat or sweater in the same leather shade. Instead of letting Sawai's blend into her layers, the Shogun star juxtaposed her lighter camel bag against her black blazer. (The better to see she's carrying a sold-out style.)

A model walking in Coach's Fall 2025 runway show in a navy duffel coat. — Models at Coach's Fall 2025 show carried new versions of the Empire bag in several neutral shades.

Coach has minted It-bag after It-bag in the past two years, churning out celebrity-favorites like Bella Hadid's spacious Brooklyn and Olivia Rodrigo's re-editioned Ergo bag in rapid succession. Anna Sawai is the first star to carry Coach's latest style outside of the label's front rows and campaigns, but history has shown she won't be the last.

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders like celebrity stylist Molly Dickson, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty product launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what style trends—like the rise of emotional support accessories or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. She also justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”

Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.

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