Bag Trends (Page 4)

I know that many of our readers are categorically opposed to fur, but the material is so trendy for fall that we wouldn’t be doing our jobs correctly if we ignored it. Most stores only have early pre-orders available for their cold-weather collections, and already fur bags from major designers are starting to show up here and there.

Of the options I’ve seen so far, the Tod’s D-Styling Bauletto Medio Bag is easily my favorite. Instead of taking on the bushy, overly plush look that befalls so many fur designs, the laser-cut fox has a finish that’s both luxurious and visually interesting. This bag is one of very few that I’ve seen where the use of the fur actually adds something to the bag’s aesthetic.

Animal print is one of the subjects that divides our readers the most – some people think it’s fun and glamorous, others think it’s cheap and tacky. I for one am in the first group, so much so that I wore floor-length leopard print to a wedding this weekend. That’s hardly the only example of the pattern that I have in my closet, and I find that adding it to almost any outfit garners lots of compliments (and probably a few unimpressed glances, but luckily, those people usually keep their opinions to themselves).

Despite my love for leopard I don’t have a bag in the pattern, but it looks like there are more than a couple of designers that are trying to fill that wardrobe gap for me. We’ve covered similar bags from Alexander Wang and Rebecca Minkoff before, but since more designers than I can count on one hand have debuted leopard looks recently, I think it’s time to officially call it a trend and discuss a few of my favorite examples.

Heading to Coachella this weekend? No? Me neither. But maybe one or two of you are lucky enough to make the hipster pilgrimage out to Indio, California for the annual indie music festival that keeps getting less indie by the year. Or maybe you’re saving your airline miles for a future summer festival – maybe Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee or Lollapalooza in Chicago? (The latter would be my pick since Lady Gaga is headlining.)

No matter what kind of outdoor events you’re attending this summer, from music festivals to baseball games, you’re going to need to bring a handbag of some sort. Crossbody bags are undoubtedly your best bet because they’re hands-free and convenient, but choosing one to use at an all-day event can be tricky. Too small, and you’re trying to stuff way too many things in to it; too big, and it’s a burden to carry around for an extended period of time, particularly in summer heat. Luckily, we’ve done all the legwork for you and found three perfect crossbodies that will satisfy any (ok, almost any) budget.

We’re all told from a young age that we shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but how many of us manage to make a good-faith effort to follow that advice? I know that I’m guilty of it, even as a writer myself – we all like a pretty picture. The problem with pictures, however, is that they don’t give you the whole story. I know for a fact that most of the ones that I’ve seen of the Alexander Wang Diego Bucket bag didn’t paint an accurate picture of how I would feel about the bag in person.

In photos, I hated it. In fact, I kind of hate it in the photo we’ve got here – it looks shapeless and busy, like you’d have an impossible time trying to figure out how to get in and out of it. I thought it lacked the simple elegance that Wang’s Rocco duffel has, and that it was surely a rare miscue for the young designer. And then I saw it in person.

We all know that drawstring bucket bags are a huge trend for spring and summer, so we thought we would examine the bag that created the genre: the Louis Vuitton Noe Bag. More specifically, let’s talk about the style and function of the Louis Vuitton Epi Petite Noe.

As with many other iconic bags, the Noe was created with a specific purpose in mind: carrying a bottle of champagne. The design debuted in 1932, and it eventually expanded beyond its original purpose to become the popular shoulder bag that we know today. Drawstring bags had their first burst of mainstream popularity in the 80s, and just like everything else from that decade, they’ve become popular once again.

Spring 2010 has arrived and so have the trends in handbags for the season. We have already covered the denim trend and perforated leather trend, but now it is time we cover a trend that has been interpreted in a multitude of ways. Tie-Dye Handbags are being seen in many collections this spring, varying from contemporary designers to premiere designers alike. Using different techniques, each designer has found a way to include the trend in their bags and we are thrilled to see this.

If you’re like me, you can’t help but love getting a sneak peek at the season’s best bags before they come out. That can be hard to do something, but luckily Net-a-Porter has devoted the current edition of their weekly online magazine to showing their customers Spring’s best bags and trends. They’ve also got mini-features on PurseBlog favorites Nancy Gonzalez and Alexander Wang, in addition to lots of gorgeous shots of bags that have yet to hit stores. What are you waiting for? Take a look at their magazine.