Luggage style bags

We are seeing bags get a lot boxier in shape. These miniature luggage style bags are nostalgic and quite practical at the same time. Here are a few examples.

FLORAL PAISLEY SHOPPER

Its a beautiful summer's day and i'm feeling floral. I love this vintage floral shopper. The proportions of this are just perfect and i love the simple clasp detail in the centre.

The floral paisley is embroidered onto this heavy fabric and finished off with simple red leather binding.

The shape is wide at the base and narrows to the top. I also really love the flat zip pocket with metal zip on the front panel.

The inside of the bag shows where the handles are lovingly attached and the additional inside pocket.

The bag has a home made feel about it, even though it probably is not home made. Even the little metal corner details are very dinky and cute. This is the kind of bag i can imagine a cool grandmother with oversized round sunglasses wearing slung over the forearm on her way to the shops in West London.

MERCHANT & MILLS OIL SKIN BAG

I like the narrow handles of this bag and the inbalance (or balance) of proportion. The simple oil skin canvas bag is accented by thick but narrow quality leather shoulder straps.You can buy this bag here at the Merchant & Mills shop. They have a real bricks and mortar shop in East Sussex. I will keep this in mind for my next road trip. This bag retails for £48 not bad.

Goodordering Cycle friendly bags

Cycling has definitely taken off as the transport of choice in many urban settings. So what better accessory that a fashionable bicycle bag. These ones are designed by yours truly and available for a limited time through Kickstarter. It is a crowd funding tool which i am aiming to raise the required sum for in order start getting the bags manufactured.

Click here for more info and to back the project: Goodordering Cycle bags by Jacqui Ma. Designed in East London, made in Shenzhen.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jacquima/goodordering-bags

The range consists of backpacks, and cycle friendly pieces that attach to your bicycle and then transform seamlessly into shoulder bags.

You can also get more information about the bags by visiting : www.goodordering.com

Translucent Satchel

The Cambridge satchel company has set the tone for this long living trend of satchels. We've seen bright pop colours, neon and now we have this translucent style. None of the lux details are lost in the leather trim. A nice bag spotted at London Fashion week ss13.

NOT A GOOD TRAVEL BAG

This is not really a great travel bag for when travelling across international borders. It reads "this bag contains a gun, a bomb, a very large knife and loads of drugs". Unless of course you are planning a very sophisticated version of reverse psychology.

GHONGJORD BAGS

I have discovered this new bag brand which i really love. their website is amazing cool and clean too. I am jealous of this company! they do some nice stuff.

Take this simple ruck sack for example. it is clean and sharp and it looks very comfortable. Its the perfect balance between fashion and function. It also has a bit of a 70s flavour about it.

I really also love that it has nice shiny brass hardware and a nice structured back handle to grab it by and sling over one shoulder. I thought the brand name sounded a bit chinese and i was right, it is a buddhist saying which is about something sustainabity - check it out yourself on their website: http://ghongjord.com

I think it is a japanese, germany based designer. Talk about some nice design genes!

GIVENCHY

Its all about Givenchy at the moment, but fair play they have come up with this amazingly cute, simple gorgeous hand bag called the Pandora. A few years ago people would have laughed at this bag, now everyone wants to get it. Note the minimal hardware, odd, assymmetric construction and very simple classic branding. Less is more.

Givenchy, ss12

RED HANDLES. HMMM

Doing a little bit of research into handles of shoppers, I came across this bag, its from etsy, sorry lost the link. Handles are going back to being really simple with hardly any hardware to be seen. Less is more and even to the extent that the same material and colour is used in the handle as the main body material. I really love this simple red shopper with a flat construction and little darts down the bottom.

I BOUGHT MYSELF A NEW BAG

I must be so easily influenced, i don't normally splash out on bags spontaneously, but i recently bought this lovely thing. I love bags which seem like they are specific cases for things.

THE 90s

Did you have a stud machine in the 90s? I didn't. But i wish i had. I'm not sure why but this bag takes me back to the era of DIY decoration, the be-dazzler and such. The ultra cool, new thing about it is the wierd orderly fashion in which these little studs are arranged. It makes me imagine that some designer had received a swatch card of available studs and embellishments from the factory in china and decided to re-create the level of excitement faced when one comes across a sample swatch card.


Its like a little fishing tackle box where you have all your hooks and flies arranged in the little compartments OR some kind of wierd board game where you have to collect a certain number of stars or dome studs in order to progress to the next level.

Either way, this bag makes me feel happy. Happy in order. Happy in options. Happy in 90s embellishments.

WHAT DRAMA SHOPPER

This is the kind of drama you get to see at London fashion week. Great bag. Love a bit of typography!

PRINTED BAGS

These bags are a clever idea that i bet has been thought of loads of time, but someone has now actually done it, and done it quite well i think. Its the classic designer handbags such as Hermes Birkin and like printed onto the relatively disposable and super cheap but iconic canvas shopper.


I particularly love the quality of the print and the vibrancy of the colours that has come through.




And the printing of the base is pure class!


You can find out more about this on this fab site i found these bags at: weareselecters.com

TO SHEARLING OR NOT TO SHEARLING?

It was always a bit of a question mark as to whether shearling / sheepskin would take off in the world of accessories.


Personally, i don't mind these two bags, the above one looks like a little sheep with handles and the bottom Celine one is actually quite cute.


I think it comes down to a question of function. Shearling on the outside of anything whether it be clothes or shoes seems a bit wierd to begin with seeing it is associated with keeping things warm and snuggly. In addition, sherling on bags is slightly wierd seeing there is no particular need for keeping say, your keys or wallet warm.

Make your own mind up, what do you think? To shearling or not to shearling?

LUSTROUS

I love this lustrous finish on this Miu Miu bags. reminds me of the sheen on beetles. Oh Christmas is coming, break out the party bags!

BACK PACK BRIEF CASES

These vintage style bags are a bit like children's school cases. Satchels are definitely the flavour of the month right now with boxy being the new slouchy.



Japanese school bag with ye oldy worldy plastic moulded handle which i adore.


These backpack straps convert to a longer shoulder strap when they are unhooked letting the user choose between a shoulder bag and a backpack... how very convenient.


I have one a little like this in purple which i like but i have had trouble using it as its so stiff, but i love it all the same.

FLAT RED BAG

I just found this bag on etsy, I like its simplicity and straight-forwardness. It reminds me of a bag i had when i was a little girl. I also like how it is photographed. If you want to buy it, it might still be on etsy, seller id: GardenourLeather

90s EMBELLISHED BAGS

Decoration is back. I'm loving embellished bags, 90s style. Geometric structured patterns work best. Hardcore studs, rivets and chains are the way to go. Mixed metallic finishes on heavy weight black leather is the way to do it.

MINI MESSENGER BAG

I'm feeling rather silly today. This is what i wish i looked like for one day. If i looked like this, i would stay home all day lazing on the couch with my crocheted bag stroking it gently with my fury hands. I may be slowly going mad, either that or i have been hanging out with quirky swedish people too much of late.

WITHNAIL AND I INSPIRED BAGS

Inspired by the cult movie - Withnail and I, i did a bit of bag research. I describe the look as disheveled bourgeois or ramshackle. The movie is about a couple of want to be thespians out of work living in squalor in camden. They decide to go on a weekend away to uncle Monty's holiday cottage in the countryside where their domestic abilties are even more tragically hilarious.

Scratched leather frame bag. Adult version of a very serious school bag.

The slightly shiny leather on this bag coupled with the 70s style lock makes it a very nice understated business bag. Found on etsy.com

Hartmann travel bag, i imagine this is quite 70s.

I think this is a music bag - a sort of opening leather portfolio.

Vintage Gucci holdall