I spend a lot of time in three cities and across four seasons: urban Seattle most of the year, urban Salt Lake City for some of the year, and I see my Dad in Velp (near Arnhem) in the Netherlands three to four times a year. It strikes me that the most common styles of handbag and footwear across women of all ages is very similar.

Handbags:

• Large Tote
• Small DRESSY Crossbody
• Backpack

Footwear:

• Fashion & Athletic Sneakers
• Flat Booties
• Flat Sandals that range from Birkenstock and supportive sporty looks, to gladiators, slides, mules, ankle strap styles, and low wedges
• Rothy’s ballet flats

Of course, this isn’t comprehensive — you see it all in the city if you look for long enough — but these are most common. I’m surprised to see far fewer pairs of flip-flops, sandal booties, tall boots and dressy pumps than I used to. I very rarely see high heels of any kind. Sometimes I see low and mid-height heels. When I do see high heels, it’s usually in the form of a wedge, block-heeled sandal or ankle boot. Generally, I see more women in Salt Lake City wear high heels than in the other two cities.

I’m not one bit surprised that sneakers and totes have taken over the world. Sneakers can be worn with ANYTHING these days and are the shoes of our fashion era. They are extremely trendy and fashionable, becoming acceptable across an assortment of dress codes, and commuting comfort is key. As for totes and backpacks, they are handy for carrying laptops and iPads, a lunch box, water bottle, and possibly a change of shoes. It makes perfect sense that they are extremely popular. Backpacks are good for your posture and back when you’re carrying a heavier load so that makes sense too. The small dressy crossbody is fab when commuting on bike and foot, and is all you need when carrying only the essentials. They are an easy and hands-free way to add a dressy element to a casual outfit, which makes sense too.

I’m usually one of the few people on the street wearing flat loafers, dainty ballet flats, and carrying a dressy satchel. I never carry a tote or backpack. Many of my dressy satchels convert to the crossbody style which is practical for commuting and travel. I also wear small dressy crossbody bags a lot more than I used to.

Now that I can find refined sneakers in narrow sizes that fit my feet, I can join Team Fashion Sneaker. I’m normally in sneakers at some point during the day because of my active walking lifestyle. Low tops in mild and hot weather, and hi-tops in cold weather. I don’t wear athletic sneakers at all, and don’t even have a pair! I walk to the yoga studio in gear and fashion sneakers. I’m also with the masses in wearing flat boots and comfort sandals.

What is the handbag and footwear style like on the streets of your neighbourhood, and how does it compare to mine?

I’m neither athletic nor sporty, and the Athleisure trend is not my thing. I don’t wear shorts, leggings, skorts, joggers, polar fleece, basic tees and tanks, baseball caps, or gortex for casual wear. I avoid wearing sports gear unless it’s an absolute necessity, like trail shoes for canyon walking, or body-con spandex for yoga practice. But I do have a sporty element to my style, and here’s why.

Elements of sporty style are varied and aren’t necessarily overt. In my case, these elements are subtle, preppy, refined and dressy. Wearing casual knits with horizontal stripes, colour blocked pullovers, structured sweatshirts, cashmere hoodies, polo tops, non-athletic sneakers, casual crossbody bags, puffer jackets and coats, lace bomber jackets, and a white backpack is sporty my way. A sporty and casual integrity, but not athletic and not made of technical fabric.

Here are the items from my wardrobe that I consider sporty:

I style these subtle sporty items in dressier ways, and with structure. Fits range from tailored to fluid, and nothing is oversized. I wear sneakers with dressy frocks, dressy coats, fancy suits, and pearls. I combine striped tops with lace skirts. I layer a hoodie under a blazer with pearls. Polo tops are matched with dressy skirts, trousers and pearls. Hi-tops go with structured pants, dressy toppers and dressy satchels. Colour blocked knitwear and sweatshirts go under dressy toppers with pearls. And every outfit is finished with light make-up and styled hair for extra polish.

Over to you. Are there sporty elements to your style? If so, are these sporty elements athletic, or are they more subtle like mine?

A Manolo Blahnik exhibition, an eco-friendly line of bags from Prada, and other style news that caught our attention this month.

• Ralph Lauren has received an honorary knighthood for services to fashion, becoming the first American designer to be awarded with the UK’s highest honour.
• Gloria Vanderbilt, who reigned during the ’70s and ’80s as a designer jeans pioneer, has passed away at the age of 95.
• Olay is the first major global skincare brand that is testing refillable packaging in an attempt to reduce plastic waste.
• Nordstrom and Rent the Runway are teaming up.
• A new exhibition at the London Wallace Collection is pairing the most famous shoes from Manolo Blahnik’s archive with world-renowned paintings in the gallery’s 18th century rooms. 
• Prada is launching Re-Nylon, an eco-friendly line of iconic bag silhouettes executed in a progressive new nylon, Econyl, a 100% regenerated fibre from fishnets and other nylon excess. 

Interesting Fashion Fact

Did you know that espadrilles are named after esparto, a tough, wiry Mediterranean grass that is used to make the rope soles for this Summery footwear.

Horsey zebra patterns are just as fab as cat prints. Zebra patterns are most authentic in black, brown, tan and white, but come in any colour combination and in any wardrobe item. Here are four ways to wear neutral zebra-patterned pieces across an assortment of wardrobe items. 

1. Zebra Topper

Combine a zebra jacket, cardigan or coat with a printed top for a fun pattern mixed effect. Wear the combination over bottoms that work with the outfit. Here, the top is tucked into jeans, but you don’t need to tuck. The black footwear picks up the black of the patterns, although white boots would look as fab. The full-length jeans look fresh.

2. Zebra Dress

Combine a zebra print dress with black footwear and Bob’s your uncle. I’d have added red or shocking pink shoes and bag to this outfit to make it look more punchy, but that’s because I like brights. Neutrals like metallic, tan, cognac, shades of white and navy make lovely accents too.

3. Zeba Skirt

Combine a zebra skirt with a black top and footwear, and a straw bag. Here, white espadrilles mix things up and pick up the white of the pattern. A white top would work well too. The casual vibe of the espadrilles and straw bag relax the look. A denim jacket in blue or white would be a nice addition for arctic air conditioning.

4. Zebra Top

Combine a zebra top with black bottoms and finish off the outfit with shoes that work with the palette. This super trendy pairing is voluminous and might not be to your taste, so create outfit proportions that are. The brown shoes are unexpected, and do a nice job of bookending the outfit. That said, it takes away from the graphic sharpness of the look. White or black shoes would have looked more sharp to my eye. Black, white and bright red is a classic combination, so the red bag is beautifully predictable.

If zebra clothing isn’t your thing, try incorporating zebra outfit accents with a zebra bag, pair of shoes, or scarf. I just got the light blue zebra dress from Zara shown at the end of this collection, and I love it.