Category — What bag?

Because fun bags don’t come alone!

From top to bottom. Embellished Clutch from Zara + Flesh-colored long necklace Sully by Asmé. Tote Coco I from Nurmi + Trees Tea Tray by Depeapa. Bucket Bag- Light Blue Leather from Falcon Wright + Bobby Chair Pillow from Michi Girl.

Often I find myself carrying a lot more than actually fits in my bag; a laptop, a scarf, a big wallet, sunglasses, a box with my business cards and so on. That’s why I think we’re always in the market for a big(ger) bag with lots of space because they’re so useful and handy! So I went on a hunt to find some, and I found these three! From the top down: a funky bag called Vinyl Shopper from Zara. Babette is an – I want to have! – oversized lambskin tote bag from Ally Capellino, and the third is a beautiful bag called HORIZON from Ellen Truijen.

When I came across the very fun tote from Gemma Correll named Scribble Kitty (shown top left) it immediately made me want to make a ‘What bag?’ blog post about bags in the shape of animals or with animals on them. I think they have such a happy cute quality to them, they put a smile on your face, so I say: have one in your bag collection!

And of course animal bags come in different sizes! If you’d like to go big there’s the Mouse Across Body Bag from ASOS, or the amazing wicker Armadillo handbag from kate spade new york. If you’d like to go small there’s the cute coin purse called Bamboo Spare Some Change? from ModCloth, or the Piggy Bank case from Keecie which will take good care of your belongings.

Cotton and color are the perfect ingredients for a summer bag!

First one up is the Bon Journey, Process Yellow from The New Domestic, they sell cotton bags with a fun colorful print or a colorful bottom. The Bon Journey is suitable for traveling or for work, for storing your laptop and lots of other stuff! The handles are beautifully fastened with rivets, the cotton canvas is sturdy and the bright yellow bottom is handpainted by The New Domestic. Like they say themselves: they combine utility with style.
On Instagram I saw a bag from Marimekko that I liked, I went on a search for it and found this cute colorful shoulder bag called Kauko! Marimekko is a Finnish textile and clothing design company with lots a great designers. ‘Kauko’ was designed by Tuula Pöyhönen, it’s made from cotton, has light leather handles and two small outside pockets. I love the combination of the three colors but it’s also available in all black. Another one that I really like from the same series is the tote Toimi.

Five reasons for having and bringing a tote bag!

1 Always have one folded in your bag, it’s very handy during shopping and you never know when that happens. Not only for groceries – use them for all your shopping, it’s so much better than a plastic bag!
2 Your outfit requires a small bag but you want and have to bring a lot of stuff. Add a tote bag and your problem is solved!
3 You have a bag that you obviously love, but it has no pockets on the inside, or it’s an open bag and not so safe for your precious items. Solution: create a bag in a bag, put your vulnerable items in a tote bag and put the tote in your bag.
4 Use a tote bag to make a statement, with a text or an image, something you stand for. A tote bag is a canvas for the creative!
5 It’s an easy and not expensive summer bag and you can never have enough of them!

It’s been a couple of days since I returned from my five day trip to Oslo and I realized it’s definitely time for a new What bag? I’m still so happy that I found this second hand mini suitcase at a thrift shop in the city of Naarden Bussum in the Netherlands. I love thrift shops and this is one of my favorites, you should totally go there if you’re in the neighbourhood sometime. The outside of the bag is made of reed and leather, the inside of the bag has a cotton lining and what’s extra fun is that it has a real lock. I’m looking forward to spring when I can wear this tiny companion again!

I wouldn’t mind to have all the bags and accessories that Ally Capellino ever designed and made! I’m in love with her style, her sense for from, color (combinations), material and detail. I use my Dean, the sturdy rucksack on the left, almost everyday. The bag is made of waxed canvas and has beautiful leather details such as the bridle closures, the handle and the ends of the drawstring opening. It has a good size, for carrying around a bit to a lot, and handy pockets for keeping small things in.
My most recent purchase from her is a leather purse for my iPhone. My previous phone sleeve had an open top and my phone would slip out all the time (giving it the possibility to mingle with my keychain!). I’m also a bit of a dropping everything out of my hands kind of type so this purse solves both problems and it’s so good-looking at the same time! Yesterday I discovered that her new collection of bags is in and that she has a new website too, which looks wonderful!

A straight forward shoulder bag just the way I like it! This simple and beautiful –almost square – bag has a triangle shaped flap, stitched edges, functional straps, and it’s designed in Sweden. The leather is vegetably tanned and the inside has no lining but it does have a smaller compartment with penholders and a pocket for cards.
It’s an elegant bag with metal rivets on the strap and handles that give it a little tough edge. On my wish list I have their tote bag Gudrun in military green, I just simply love their bags!

The line shapes and structure on this bag are so funky! It is designed and printed by Au Retour. The pattern design is called Floating Shapes, it’s inspired by the work of Wassily Kandinsky. Modern architecture (which I love) is another inspiration for them, this is also visible in the colorful pillow covers they make (see: shore drive). Back to the bag, it’s a great addition to my tote bags collection!

One of the reasons why I love this bag is that the triangle print is from an original drawing, it’s beautifully uneven. I love the small size of the bag (my 13 inch laptop just fits) and it has a sturdy feel to it because the fabric is thicker than with most other tote bags. A very good thing is that it’s a totally eco and hand made bag. It’s screen printed with solvent free ink, made from hemp canvas, the bottom is made of black organic cotton canvas and last but not least, the long brown handles are made from upcycled leather.