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Bag it Up

Since I didn’t have room to discuss all the trends for the upcoming fall season, I decided to continue this week with other accessories, primarily bags, but I’ll throw in a belt or two. If you’d like a review of how the trend process works, check out last week’s blog or read/watch The Devil Wears Prada, a humorous, but rather accurate portrayal of what goes on behind-the-scenes of the fashion world.

So let’s get right into it and start with the most popular bag this season. Judging by the top designer collections, it’s hard to say whether the clutch or the frame bag wins. They both have representation from major labels, but I’m going to go with the frame bag, simply because it’s more versatile. With a frame bag, you get a larger purse that you can use for shopping, work, or a night out. A clutch is pretty limiting, and though certainly an excellent choice for an elegant evening at a premiere or a company-sponsored dance, you probably aren’t going to get much in it other than lipstick and a compact. Unfortunately, for the frame bag I haven’t found many vegan options, but it should be easy enough to find a frame bag that does not use any leather.

Next, we have totes, which we see people using more and more everyday – whether it’s for carrying books, or buying groceries, consumers want bags they can use over and over, which certainly makes it great for the environment. As an incentive many natural food stores now donate money to various organizations when you bring your own bag. To help you, Alternative Outfitters offers a great bag that’s both stylish and meaningful. Feel free to read the story on the site: http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1634

The satchel is pretty much a classic and you can’t really go wrong with it. It offers a happy medium between a large tote and a small clutch. They come in many colors, typically solids. Vegetarianshoesandbags.com sells a Vegan Crescent Satchel in colors that will fit most any wardrobe item.

To wrap up the section on bags, unique, innovative creations seem to be getting some attention. Clothing as a statement of art has long been the purpose of a couture fashion and there are even a few vegan options here. Though a bit pricey, ecoist.com creates purses out of recycled consumer products, anything from gumwrappers to newspaper shreds. Their Sunshine bag particularly caught my eye. With bursts of color, you’ll be sure to get the attention of those around you and most likely you’ve have a bag that not many others do.

To close, I’ll give you a little tidbit about belts. As we’ve seen over the past few years, large, thick belts at the waist are still popular, but there’s more diversity this season. Basically, feel free to wear what best represents you and you’ll fit in with the trends. My personal recommendation is the Woven Vegan Belt from vegetarianshoesandbags.com.

Be sure to come back next week for more zany adventures,

A Saucy Soulful Vegan

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