I'd been waiting to post this for about two months, waiting until I had a decent picture of me with my own yellow handbag, but I've been seeing more and more women carrying them. I figure I should post before it becomes a fullblown trend, because I swear I thought of it before I ever saw a single person carry one!
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I'm sort of easing into the whole concept of a grown-up handbag (I've mentioned my $35 guess minibag before). Looking at a bunch of options on etsy opened me up to the idea of a bag that that was none of the following:
- black or brown or other neutral
- mass-market brand-name (e.g. Coach, LV, Dooney & Burke, etc.)
- boring
I found myself at Marshall's of all places, gravitating to the brightly colored bags: orange, white, and even lavender. But my only criteria was that it be real leather and a manageable size, because moving from a minibag to a full-sized handbag is a bit like moving from a tiny shoebox apartment in the Wall Street neighborhood to a sprawling duplex in Brooklyn. You literally don't know what to do with all that new space in your life.
This no-name Italian bag caught my eye (MSRP $300, marked to $150, and marked again to $80), and it was bright yellow. I never thought I had it in me, but something about the bag felt so right - unassuming, but a little courageous. I bought it. And I'm glad I did! Even seeing it sit on my desk makes me smile.
I think it's important that with such a bright color, you stick to something with clean lines and unfussy shapes. Maybe some thoughtful details are nice, but you don't want a lot of ding-dongs hanging out all over the place. I would steer clear of ruffles, studs, and too many buckles.
So how does one wear a yellow bag? It's the kind of thing that tends to make itself very useful and will go with all the boring neutral colors you own. But anyone can wear a yellow bag with black or white (or both). I think yellow becomes a lot more interesting when paired with something a little more unexpected, like medium gray or navy blue. Then again, the more intrepid among us may want to experiment with prints and more daring color combos. I'm sure the possibilities are endless.
ABOVE: 1) Chloe Ada handbag, 2) Coach (I know...I really like the trim on this one though), 3) Marni balloon tote, 4) Natalie Fringe Hobo (just $30), 5) Dolce & Gabbana large patent tote, 6) Parentesi handbag, 7) Loewe satchel, 8) Kooba Talia bag, 9) Matt & Nat vegan leather (otherwise known as pleather) tote, 10) Gustto Bonba clutch, 11) Katie Holmes looking chic and 12) Mary-Kate looking daring.