Monday 17 May 2010

Summer handbags - handmade or designer?

I am not in the habit of constantly changing handbags only because I always manage to forget something I need in my old bag.  But there's something compelling about spring summer that says colourful funky shoulder bag, beach bag, straw bag, basket bag which I seem only to find in handmade handbags.  Sometimes I can find a designer handbag that ticks those boxes but I want something earthy and not clinical which sometimes only handmade bags can deliver.  It reminds me of food and the difference in taste between street food and sanitized restaurant food in exotic destinations like Thailand.  The joy of tasty food on the faces of celebrity chefs Ainsley Harriott, Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein as they sample street food in asian countries is priceless.  When I visited Thailand, I had two nights of restaurant food.  But when I found my way to the night markets, I was only having street food henceforth and did not mind the trip to get to the market.  And when it comes to summer handbags, the same applies.  

Mind you handmade bags are designer in their own right as they have been lovingly crafted by an artisan in a unique design that is not mass produced.  Thankfully for me I do not need celebrity endorsement or tradional designer brand name to know when a bag looks good.  Some people carry their Mulberyy Alexa, I carry my designer original handbag.

What do I go for in a handbag for summer?  Quirkiness, different shape, colour, material, unusual design which I can on occasion find in a designer high street brand.   One of my favorite bags is an Isabelle Fiore, a quirky leather handbag with crotchet and jewels.  Can't tell you the number of times I have been asked "where did you get that bag".  But I never tire hearing it.   Let's see if I get the same reaction with this summer bag.

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