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Sheryl Watkins has
been Joseph's handbag
and jewelry buyer for
over twenty years.
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Joseph's Spring Handbags Report |
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Here's what I'll say about handbags in any season: A good purse will always fit and it probably won't go out of style. So investing in a fashion bag is one of the smartest ways to update your whole wardrobe.
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And the trends this Spring look pretty sturdy to me. If I had to sum them up in one word, I'd say TEXTURES. Quilting, pleating and gathering. Woven materials are big. So is metal hardware, and you'll find some of the most beautiful soft leather bags I've seen in a while. Bright colors tend to accentuate the textures, but you'll see a lot of neutrals too. |
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| And clutches, especially with full flap tops. Look how Christian Louboutin has brought this year's looks all together in one simple little purse! He's made that superb soft leather even more distinctive with pleating, then trimming it with metal. We HAD to have it in black of course, but there was no way I was going to pass up that lilac color either. And then I bought it in two different sizes to boot! |
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For more textures, quilting and bright colors, check out Marc Jacobs' and Kate Spade's quilted fabric satchels & totes, and Francesco Biasia's gathered metallic fabric hobos. And that Marc Jacobs cut-out hearts tote! That's past surface texture - it's three dimensional. |
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| Of course, another way to get texture is weaving, and for that you can't top Bottega Veneta. When I think of an investment handbag this is it - soft, hand-woven leather in classic silhouettes. Quality doesn't go out of style. |
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Same goes for Nancy Gonzales. When you think Nancy Gonzalez, of course you think crocodile, and crocodile IS texture - that's it's whole point. I love the way the pleating on her salmon colored tote picks up the rows in the crocodile skin.
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| Gucci and Prada are right there as always. It's hard to see in a photo, but ruching really brings out the iridescent black fabric in Prada's hobo with the chain shoulder strap. We have it in a clutch too. Gucci gets a similar look by gathering the GG print fabric in their big hobo, which I bought in black and two light browns. |
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| As for Eric Javits, when it come to day-in and day-out you can't beat his woven straw in neutral colors, but look at how the texture just jumps out at you when he interweaves the fuchsia, aqua, gold and purple in the Skipper tote. It's another way of getting that iridescent look. |
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| One of the oldest techniques for getting surface texture is by treating or processing the leather. The Yves Saint Laurent shoulder bag in navy is a great example of a special tanning process. Furla has done it with a stamping technique that gets a snakeskin-like look. |
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| I could go on and on - just flip through the web site and you'll see more of what I'm talking about. I like this season a lot because great designers are doing what great designers do: using their materials in beautiful and fascinating ways. You just don't get tired of looking at it. |
| Sheryl Watkins |
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