A couple weeks ago, I read an article on Racked that noted straw baskets were all over Instagram. Even though I’m a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to that particular social network, writer Tanisha Pina was undeniably correct–the influencer set does seem to be favoring little basket bags at a rate higher than you’d expect of a set of people who generally like to flaunt their wealth. A lot of them are looking to indie brand Little Doe for $350 literal baskets, but big designer lines are also brimming with straw bags, ranging from actual wicker baskets to super-popular existing designs made from straw or materials that resemble it.
At first blush, straw might seem inherently non-luxurious, but the look works on the same principle as carrying a clutch during the daytime: if you’re doing it, your existence is one of capital-L Leisure, where toting a bag that’s a little silly or impractical won’t impede things. On top of it, as Pina points out at Racked, there’s a French-girl-at-the-market ease to a straw bag; it evokes ideas of someone whose whole life is chic without trying.
While a $4,000 designer straw bag might seem like a luxury made only for people who have run out of other things on which to spend their money (and, well: it is), the nice thing about the fancification of an everyday material is that there are still plenty of accessible options that achieve the same look. Below, check out both ends of the spectrum and start planning for spring.