IT’S IN THE BAG
Ready to trade your leather handbag in for a summer tote? Think colour, texture and embellishment in tiny pochettes to oversized satchels. Here are our top 10 favourite styles of the season.
LOUIS VUITTON
Every season creative director Marc Jacobs designs the ‘it’ bags that everyone instantly craves. For spring his accessories had a playful streetwise touch with multi-coloured tassels, fur tails, luggage tags and charms. Next year, you can remove the extras for a more classic approach.
PROENZA SCHOULER
The scuba touch at PS extended to their small handbags. You might think that the chain and colour combination will date quickly but imagine how this bright pop of colour will dress up jeans and a tee, or basic black outfit.
MULBERRY
Animal prints come back every season it seems. The electric fuchsia makes this tote stand out. Pair it with black sandals to ground the look. Throwing in too many colours will cheapen your overall effect.
FENDI
Forget the LBB — little black bag — for evening. Make your next one a hard transparent studded case. You won’t want to store much inside but for those few essentials, it’s the most fashion-forward pick.
CHANEL
Chanel’s classic quilted handbag is trimmed with sweet fabric flowers for spring. For maximum impact, I’d wear this with a casual outfit — jeans or khakis with a blazer —rather than anything too fussy.
CELINE
With her first minimalist collection last year, designer Phoebe Philo has taken fashion trends on a sharp detour. While embellished bags are still hot, classic tailored bags in luxe leathers are making a subtle but hugely important statement. Invest in a design like this and you’ll be carrying it for years to come.
Mary Jane Monday is usually a bit of a high street zone, without a great deal of glamour or excess going on, so I was pleased to see that Christian Louboutin has recently tried his hand at designing this most feminine of shoe styles.
