BEACH MEETS STREET
BAGS IN CASUAL SHAPES AND FABRICS MAKE HASTE FROM THE SANDS TO THE CITY.
Byline: Karen Parr
NEW YORK — Some easy handbags will move from the sand to the street for transition, as designers redefine the beach bag.
The traditional beach bag is no longer a simple plastic tote used to carry trashy novels and sunscreen to the South of France. The ease and low cost of beach-bag type totes has become an attractive option for city slickers as well.
Fiamma Ferragamo, vice president of Salvatore Ferragamo, calls this trend “an important look in handbags.”
“It can be worn as a briefcase or as an everyday tote, or for traveling,” she said.
One of the freshest interpretations, Ferragamo said, is a grosgrain tote. It retails around $350.
“A funny and very new handbag is the reinterpretation of the classic shopping bag, made as a net of grosgrain bands, personalized with small plastic buckles,” she said.
Rubber is the most innovative material the company is using, she said, in basic handbags such as the top handle and in fashion colors such as acid green, honey, dark brown and black.
At CK Calvin Klein, a spokeswoman explained some of the designer’s ideas on reinterpreting the beach bag. This look is exemplified by what the company calls the “plaid status” group.
“Although the whimsical print and bright colors give the plaid status group the look and feeling of summer, this collection was not designed specifically for use at the beach,” she said. “A variety of silhouettes — from a large tote to mini zip-top shoulder bags — make the bags multipurpose.”
The plaid status group wholesales from $14 to $34.
Color is a major innovation for transitional goods at CK Calvin Klein, she added. GlacA leather in lime, black currant, cherry and wine is one example. Soft glacA leather is available in red, taupe and white.
In addition, there is the introduction of plaids in pomegranate, blue and white.
With Donna Karan’s DKNY line, beach-bag looks rely on function as well as style, according to a spokeswoman.
“There is a great rip-stop nylon beach bag that unzips into an actual terry cloth beach towel,” she said. “The bag has several compartments for water or snacks, suntan lotion or spare clothing.”
Others take on the form of a classic tote, such as a nylon bag that comes in various colors.
Straws are included in this category at DKNY, including one flexible bag in several silhouettes, in natural, green, red and orange. Another is a stiff woven straw bag with a roll top.
Wholesale prices on the nylon and rip-stop bags range from $35 to $125. Straw bags wholesale for $12 to $30.
At Tote Le Monde, owner and designer Tia Wou, said that last year at this time, her multicolored, recycled plastic bags were regarded by many buyers as beach bags.
However, this season, they have moved into the “multipurpose” category.
Different sizes are key, Wou said — there’s the actual beach tote size, then there is a smaller version, “like a purse you would carry every day.”
In addition, there’s a new shoulder strap in black webbing, an alternative to a shoulder strap made of the same colored plastic as the body of the bag.
“They’re whimsical, and what customers look for is whimsicality at a throwaway price, as opposed to a serious price,” she said.
“Women think twice about buying a $200 yellow bag. They want something that goes with everything. These they can wear with jeans or with color.”
Wou is also offering “liquid silk” — silk covered in plastic — as a new texture.
“It’s lot more fun than a straight silk bag,” she said. “It gives it a new dimension.”
The wholesale range for Tote Le Monde is from $10 to $160.
At Esprit, vice president of accessories Elaine Sugimura said the company is reprising and tweaking an item that worked well last year: the natural straw bag.
At $9 to $24 wholesale, the idea is to hit a niche in the market with a low-price branded bag, Sugimara said.
This year, Sugimara said certain changes are evident: Accents have been added, such as leather straps and metal hardware, and different materials, such as raffia straw in metallic colors were also used.
“It’s the unique styling — a cutout handle tote, a fun backpack with a cutout handle and leather straps, and a series of beaded handles — which seems to be a big sell,” she said.
For high rollers, there are some souped-up beach bag styles at Chanel, which are bought for all purposes, according to a spokeswoman.
One bag in particular — a top-handle mini tote — is offered in terry cloth, cotton and in patent leather, retailing from $1,700 to $2,200. The fabric affects the perception of the bag, the spokeswoman said.
“It’s obviously going to be much dressier in a patent leather than in a terry,” she said. “But it’s all in the same beach-bag shape.
“You can use it to go to work, to carry your Filofax to the office, but you can also use it to take your bathing suit to the beach.”
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