Bag Trends (Page 2)

Left to right: Henry Beguelin Croc Embossed Tote with Fox Tail Charm, $1645. Gucci Smilla Top Handle, $5200. Henry Beguelin Fox Detailed Tote, $1520. All via Neiman Marcus.

I remember a couple of seasons ago when Louis Vuitton debuted detachable fox tails on the Spring 2010 runway and everyone threw a fit over how silly and tacky and unreasonable they were. Well, it’s a year and a half later and now it looks like Vuitton and Marc Jacobs were, once again, more than a full calendar year ahead of the curve. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t doubt the brand’s vision anymore; if Vuitton produces a bag I don’t like, I just assume that I’m not yet advanced enough to understand its brilliance.

And that may have been the case, if the industry’s sudden embrace of fox tail accouterments is any indication. Both Gucci and Henry Beguelin have produced bags adorned with tails (or tail-like furballs) for Fall 2011, and Gucci will sell you a loose tail charm to add to any bag in your collection as well. Suddenly Louis Vuitton seems like it was on to something. Would you wear this trend? What if the “fox tail” were faux? Mostly, I’m jealous that Megs picked up one of the hot pink Vuitton charms a few seasons back and I didn’t. Also, if any of you guys see a faux option out there, let us know.

Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Satchels, $1407 and $2805 via Luisa Via Roma.

Sometimes when I write a post about something that I think might be a burgeoning trend, I feel as though I’ve participated in a bit of fashion-industry magical thinking. I speculate on something – shape, a color, or in this case, a pattern – and suddenly, I start seeing it everywhere. And that’s exactly what has happened since I recently wondered aloud whether Gucci’s zebra resort bags were an indication that fashion would be playing more heavily with an animal print other than leopard.

This morning I came across pre-orders for these two Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Satchels in sequins and calf hair, and they have me more convinced than ever that we’re going to be seeing more zebra over the next few seasons. Like leopard, the pattern is versatile and has the potential to be used as a neutral, and it feels a little bit fresher because I haven’t seen it everywhere for the past year.

Although much of the United States appears to be dealing with a late-arriving and unwelcome bout of winter weather, that doesn’t mean that it will never be warm again. (Or does it? Seriously, I’m starting to wonder.) Eventually, the sun will come out for good, or at least until October, and the temperatures will rise and we’ll all pull out the purchases that we’ve been hoarding for the past few weeks in anticipation of warm weather’s return.

With bright solids making up much of the season’s clothing trends, there’s never been a better time to experiment with accessories – everything from oversized jewelry to embellished shoes looks great against a background of solid color, but obviously, our favorite choice for an off-kilter spring accessory is a patterned bag. I’m not just talking about animal print, either; we’ve got choices for almost any budget and personal style, ranging from psychedelic flowers to pale abstraction. And, ok, one leopard bag for good measure.

It didn’t take long for python to make itself known as the biggest handbag look of Fall 2011; as trends go, exotic skins aren’t exactly subtle. They’re also not affordable, so if you want to buy into a piece of one of the runway, start saving your pennies now. To help motivate you, we’ve put together a non-comprehensive compendium of some of Fall 2011′s snakeskin looks, all the way from slouchy, comfortable pink Dior to rigid, bright yellow Gucci.

If you follow fashion shows, you know that Raf Simons’ Spring 2011 collection for Jil Sander was one of the most well-received and directional runway presentations of the upcoming season. Featuring traditional shapes in eye-poppingly vibrant shocks of color, Simons set the tone for spring and had everyone in the industry dreaming of pinks, oranges and kelly greens. Most of us are still dreaming, in fact.

To get the look without investing in expensive ready-to-wear, look no further than the Jil Sander Market Bags in the same bombastic brights as the line’s clothing. With great leather and a three-figure price tag (not to mention the cache of being from one of the season’s most important collections), I anticipate that these bags will sell rather quickly.

Did you think that we’d stop covering Fashion Week collections just because Fashion Week is over? NEVER! Now that the chaos has died down, we’re going to go back and take a look at some of the smaller brands who got lost in the shuffle, starting with Loewe’s Spring 2011 handbags. Regardless of whether or not these bags appeal to your personal sense of style, Loewe definitely wins the season’s award for Most Unabashedly Gleeful Handbag Collection.

Sherbet has never been my favorite dessert or color palette, but somehow, Loewe creative director Steven Vevers makes it work on the clean shapes for which Loewe is known. Much has been made of Vevers’ arrival at the brand from Mulberry and has commitment to New Minimalism, but these bags don’t strike me as minimal so much as classic. Flourishes like haircalf leopard print and tiny appliqued flowers hint at the transformation Vevers made at Mulberry, so we’ll see if his newfound support for minimal design actually bears itself out over the next few seasons.

While shoe shopping yesterday, I encountered a sales associate that very much wanted to tell me all about the trends for Fall 2010. I worked retail in college, so I never mind letting someone do their sales spiel without interruption, even if I already know what it’s going to contain. This time, though, I had to stop the poor guy when he got to the part about studs. I’m so over studs. When I told him that, he made a face like I had just kicked his puppy and sounded appalled that I would make such a bold declaration.

I hadn’t given much specific thought to whether or not I still thought studs were cool, but when the sales associate was waving a pyramid-covered combat boot in my face that I had no intention of ever trying on, let alone buying, it became clear – I’m done with them. But is fashion done with the trend, and more importantly, are you? With the appearance of this Burberry Studded Leather Travel Bag on Net-a-Porter yesterday morning, it looks like some retailers hope we’ll buy in to heavy metal for at least a few months longer.