The Colorful Handbags to Know for Spring
With consumers resuming their day-to-day activities and increasingly taking resale value into account before each purchase, bag trends like the outrageously oversize or miniature and unusable no longer hold the same appeal as a spruced-up take on an old favorite — especially in a bright color.
Here, WWD selects the best bags with the longest histories, as well as a few new launches with vintage flair, to photograph in a retro-futuristic setting that nods to the past and looks to sunnier days ahead.
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Take Gucci’s signature bamboo top-handle, shown here in bubblegum pink. Debuting in 1947, the style did not hit international “It” status until being photographed on the arms of international actresses who frequented the brand’s Via Condotti flagship while filming in Rome during Cinecittá’s 1960s heyday.
Also closely associated with celebrity is the Lady Dior, which was initially introduced as the “Chouchou” or, the favorite, taking inspiration from the cannage quilting on Christian Dior’s much beloved Louis XVI armchairs. The bag was gifted to Princess Diana in 1995 by the First Lady of France. Diana loved it so much, she ordered one in every color — hence, the royal rebrand. This pistachio green option would have fit right in with Diana’s pastel-filled wardrobe
And while Celine’s mini 16, Louis Vuitton’s Capucines BB, and the Serpenti Forever from Bulgari all debuted more recently, each incorporates its house’s hallmarks into shapely, midcentury designs that belie their age.
Schiaparelli, for example, not known for leather goods, outfitted the surreal motifs closely associated with founder Elsa in the 1930s into its Bijoux Secret bag in baby blue. Surely, it is a modern treasure in the making.
Launch Gallery: Colorful Handbags for the Spring 2023 Season
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