winter 2011

The 1950s Handbag for Fall 2010: A Return to Grace Kelly

 in General Fashion / Handbags / Trends  tagged 1950s / classic style / fall 2010 / satchels / vintage styles / winter 2011 by

Fashionistas in the Bay Area who adore vintage are in for a treat this Fall season! The 1950s style handbag is back in fashion and designers have paired it with the full skirt, 1950s silhouette; referred to in modern times as the Stepford look. The 1950s era handbag is literally worn by hand or slung over a woman’s forearm. The handbag has a small, thick strap which cannot be worn over the shoulder. This vintage throwback style is smaller in size than the oversize handbags fashionistas became accustomed to earlier in the decade. In order to wear this trend, women will need to decide what really belongs in their handbag!

The 1950s handbag evokes memories of well-dressed women shopping at City of Paris, I Magnin, Livingstons’s, Ransonhoff’s, Joseph Magnin, The White House or lunching at Townsend’s or the St. Francis. Visions of women at Eplar’s Bakery or strolling down Maiden Lane while wearing a full skirt, proper handbag, hat and gloves brings many fashionistas, from all generations, begging for their own vintage 1950s handbag. Of course, women in San Francisco never wore white. Handbags graced the arms of well-dressed San Franciscans in black alligator, brown alligator or a neutral colored leather.

The 1950s style handbag is starting to dot the shelves of stores for Fall 2010. Prada has several styles in varying, two-tone neutrals. In sharp contrast to the color palette in the 1950s, Prada’s bags are white with tan, navy with red or all black. Hermes has the holy grail Kelly handbag available in any color worth sitting on a waiting list for several months. Chanel is showing the style with two chain straps in a nod to the variation of the handbag style earlier in the decade when the double handled handbag was all the rage. Can we say Lambertson-Truex Box Car? Louis Vuitton is showing the style in various fabrics as well as Epi leather. More affordable lines such as Coach, Longchamp, Banana Republic and Dooney and Burke have the style in stores as well.

Bay Area Fashionista Tip: Why buy the same handbag as all of your friends? This is one trend that screams “go vintage!” Now is the time to scour vintage stores in San Francsico and around the bay for the perfect 1950s style handbag. Once word gets out about this trend, the vintage finds will be scarce. You may also try to shop your closet, your Mother’s closet or your Grandmother’s closet. Chances are, the real thing is in there somewhere! Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

Seeing Red: The “IT” Handbag for Fall 2010

 in Color Trends / General Fashion / Handbags / Trends  tagged clutches / fall 2010 / red / satchels / street style trends / totes / winter 2011 by

Designers and fashionistas are seeing red for Fall 2010! The red handbag is coming back in style with a vengeance in the form of a clutch or tote. Red clutches and red tote bags were scattered around the Paris, Milan and New York runways for Fall 2010. They were a stark contrast to the 1990s minimalistic outfits models were wearing as they strutted down the runways. The red pops of color gave fashionistas everywhere a glimmer of hope that Fall was not all black, grey, white, brown and army green.

The red clutches shown by Chanel, Prada, Marc Jacobs and Hermes showed structured, red leather clutches with outfits of black trousers, stacked heeled boots, white turtle neck sweaters and black coats.The red clutch was not paired with other pops of red such as a coat or sweater. Red clutches clearly are there to accent a black or black and white outfit. The red clutch swings in and out of fashion every few years, making it the perfect investment clutch of the season. Many fashionistas in the bay area may already have a red clutch tucked away their collection, if not, there are beautiful clutches heading to store shelves as we speak. Handbag designers such as Chanel, Nancy Gonzalez and Hermes are showing beautiful, structured clutches in red shades. This is not an orange-red trend. The red clearly blends well with blue tones rather than orange. Dooney and Burke, Coach and Longchamp have more affordable yet luxurious red leather clutches on the market.

The other red bag of the season is the red tote. The red tote is the perfect handbag to bring to the office this Fall. Totes are large enough to fit files, small laptops and ballet flats for tired feet. The Hermes Birkin is highly desirable, yet out of budget for most bay area fashionistas. Coach, Valextra and Dooney and Burke offer sturdy, red leather totes that will be able to handle the day-to-day wear and tear of a work tote. For more casual occasions, the always-fabulous Sunday Tote by Balenciaga is heading to stores in a rich shade of red for Fall 2010.

Red totes and red clutches are the perfect pop of color to keep up the spirits of fashionistas across the bay. They will pair well with the 1990s minimalism trend as well as the full skirt trend for Fall. If you do not already own a classic, well-made, red leather tote or clutch this is the handbag investment to make this year. You will find yourself wearing the red handbag almost every day this Fall, plus the trend comes and goes every few years. This will be an investment piece you find yourself reaching for every few years, for the rest of your life. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.

Fall 2010 Fashion: Channeling the Stepford Skirt

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged fall 2010 / runway / runway trends / skirts / vintage styles / winter 2011 by

The Fall 2010 runways in Paris, Milan and New York were a mix of 1990s minimalism, 1950s Stepford Wife apparel, military nods and rock and roll flair. The skirt and dress silhouette that stood out on the runways was the 1950s, Stepford Wife full skirt. The full skirt is meeting the leg half-way between the knee and the ankle giving the skirt a more modest place in fashion for Fall 2010.

Louis Vuitton showed a fabulous, full skirt in a light tan leather topped off with a 1950s style short sleeve sweater in baby yellow. The colors were a nod to Spring 2010 giving the look a soft transfer from Spring into Fall. Prada and Dries Van Noten both showed quiet colors on full skirted dresses and ballet flats. Ralph Lauren gave the full skirt a 1990s minimalism color palette and a 1980s fabric twist. Lauren’s take on the Stepford Wife suit is black taffeta. This suit is calling for a red handbag! By the way, red handbags will be all the rage in Fall, but we can discuss this in another post.

Fashionistas in the San Francisco Bay Area may shy away from wearing the full skirt on an everyday basis. The formal look of the silhouette lends itself well to special events such as weddings, showers, charity lunches and daytime holiday parties. The full skirt is not practical for running errands, strolling at the mall or sitting behind a  computer all day at work. The trend is definitely a breath of fresh air for fashionistas everywhere who are tired of the poor taste in skirts that many women have chosen to wear over the past few years.

Recession Tip: Interested in wearing the Stepford Wife silhouette this Fall? Look inside your closet. When the movie came out earlier in the decade there were full skirts on the market as well as full skirts with an asymmetrical hemline. You can pair your full skirt from a past season with a short sleeve sweater from this season or a wrap around sweater from one of the past two seasons. Tres chic! If you found a full skirt with an asymmetrical hemline, you can even out the hemline and re-hem it! If you do not have a sewing machine at home, your local tailor can do the job for you. Fabulous!

Whether you purchase a full skirt or dress, or you got lucky and found one in the back of your closet, this is definitely a trend to follow. Happy shopping and stay fabulous.