Daily Mail - 19.08.2019

Page 36 Daily Mail, Monday, August 19, 2019

Ditch the

logos — the

best bags

don’t brag!

NO-BRAND BAGS: THE RULES

HOW TO DRESS

LIKE A GROWN UP

Shane Watson

PICK one with the option

of a crossbody strap. Two

straps are better than one.

GO FOR neat and compact

not roomy or miniature.

●

●

THE best colours are

honey, burgundy, chocolate

or terracotta.

FORGET fancy clasps — the

more minimal the better.

●

●

Subtle: Duchess of Sussex

P

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your body at waist height, it

adds a swagger to your outfit.

I’m also tempted by the

slightly flashier French brand

Elleme, in particular its perky

mock-croc baguette (£335,

farfetch.com) which is nothing

like a baguette — it’s more like

a squished cushion.

The other style that adds

punch to an outfit is By Far’s

python-effect half-moon bag

(£319.59, byfar.com). Mock croc

and snake are good for doubling

up as evening bags, too.

And there is something

timeless about a red rectangle

crossbody bag. If you can’t

stump up for the pricey version

(£650, jandmdavidson.com)

there is always APC’s Demi

Lune (£346, farfetch.com) or

Carvela’s lipstick-coloured bag

(£59, kurtgeiger.com).

If the crossbody look is not

what you are after, Matt and

Nat do a straight tan tote

(£144, mattandnat.com). Or, if

you prefer something small

but not silly, try a black leather

bucket-style bag by Vagabond

(£90, vagabond.com).

There are plenty of top-

handle bags around, too — but

why not go with the mood and

try hands-free? It’s just so

much easier.

bags — but there’s definitely

the feeling in the air that we’ve

had enough of logos and bling,

and now it’s time for something

fresh: a bag for life, not just for

this season, that’s functional,

unobtrusive, the opposite of

‘Woo Hoo! Look At Me!’, but

also elegant. Grown up bags,

in other words.

You might have noticed these

non-brand bags around the

place: a boxy crossbody purse

dangling at hip height on a

woman in a striped T-shirt and

jeans, or a saddle bag nestled

at waist height on a yummy

mummy in a shirt dress.

You’re not meant to know

where they’re from (leave that

to us); you notice them only

because they’re neat and sleek

and look like the sort of no-

fuss, carefully designed bag a

woman can do business with.

T

HErE isn’t one

must-have style,

though the one

that seems to be

cropping up more than most

is the saddle bag (a simple

flap-over U shape) or a

straight half-moon.

As for colour, there’s plenty

of black and tan as ever, but

also tastebud-tickling honey,

chocolate and burgundy.

Virtually all of them can be

hand-held or slung over your

shoulder: maximum versatility

is the name of the game.

After several years of making

do with a rucksack, albeit a

nice one, I’m seriously tempted.

These under-the-radar labels

aren’t cheap — prices hover

around the £400 mark — but

they’re a fraction of the cost of

a high-end designer bag, and

the more minimal a bag, the

more the quality shows.

The idea is that this bag is

going to be around for a while,

so it’s worth spending a bit

more if you can. Even the

Duchess of Sussex is known to

go for a more under-the-radar

bag, such as the green mini

Strathberry (above).

One of the best names in this

mid-range bracket, for quality

and style, is Mansur Gavriel.

The fashion girls at Vogue have

been on to its tie-necked

bucket bags for a while,

alternating them with their

best Chanel and Gucci. For

autumn, they’re coveting its

double-zip crossbody bag

(£400, mansurgavriel.com),

and the mini bucket bag (£425)

is still going strong.

The Dutch label Wandler is

another hot favourite: I love its

half-moon Yara bag, especially

the snake-effect one (now £350,

matchesfashion.com), or the

Luna leather shoulder bag

(£285, net-a-porter.com), which

has a chic studded strap.

There’s also the Hortensia

bag (from £325, matchesfash-

ion.com) — more like two-

thirds of a moon — which

works well hand-held, too.

Then there is the croissant

bag (a half-moon with more of

an exaggerated curve). The

most covetable is by Chylak

— another label to watch (£290,

chylak.com). It has a thick

clip-on strap, comes in glossy

chocolate mock croc and, worn

slung bandolier-style across

W

ELL, if you’re one

of those women

who can take or

leave a fancy

handbag; if you

can’t see the point of a mini

mini bag, or a bag that weighs

as much as a toddler, or giant

clasps and clip-on bag charms,

then, fellow branded bag

deniers, our time has come

Have we reached peak branded

bag? Maybe. Over the summer the

cool fashion girls were carrying straw

bags, and even the flashiest designer

labels’ sell-out bags were raffia.

Naturally, women still want smart

IF YOU are a fan of classic

jewellery but don’t want to

pay investment-style prices,

then London brand Daphine is

one to have on your radar.

It was founded in 2017 by

friends Damasia Ball and

Philippine de Follin, who

were frustrated at how hard

it was to find affordable,

timeless jewellery that didn’t

date in a matter of months.

For inspiration they looked to

the jewellery their mothers

wore, and the pieces are

n i H i j l d a a s F b r w t

Oli ring, £65,

shop-daphine.com

NEW

LABEL

YOU’LL

LOVE

Glam: Poppy

Delevingne

in Dolce &

Gabbana

Chic: Mansur Gavriel show

Silk top, £119,

The Kooples at

selfridges.com

Metallic bag, £87.50,

coach.com

Ankle-tie

sandals,

£49.99,

zara.com

Frilled dress, £250,

essentiel-antwerp.com

Blouse, £32,

topshop.com

Dip-hem midi skirt, £19.99,

stradivarius.com

DAPHINE

Pictures: PIXELFORMULA/SIPA/REX/SPLASH NEWS

Pictures: ACTION PRESS/REX/BROADIMAGE