Smittie's post about purses reminded me that I have been collecting various summer purse ideas in the last couple of days. My casual straw crossbody bag that I use in the summer broke this past weekend and is not worth fixing (in addition to the broken strap, the straw is starting to fray and discolor in parts). So I've been looking for an alternative, as I don't want to always use my black nylon crossbody.
This would be for casual stuff, mostly weekend (although I am also considering buying a summer work tote, that would be for a different post). I'm specifically looking for a crossbody or convertible shoulder bag, light colored, that goes with most of my casual summer wear. I'd want it to be medium sized (iPad size would be perfect), lightweight, and fairly soft. I've learned from experience that very structured or heavy bags always become orphans for me. A zip top closure is preferred but I could live with a magnetic flap closure - definitely no open top though.
So here are some options I've found. What do you think? Any other suggestions?
The Kate Spade straw bag is most similar to my existing bag, but I'm not wedded to the idea of straw. In fact, leather or nylon might be more versatile because they are not summer-only.
The Fossil Vickery is another straw option, but I worry the color is too beige (I prefer a yellower straw like the KS).
The Fossil Preston is, I think, my favorite in terms of shape and functionality. It has a cool zip at the bottom that makes it expandable. Not sure about the colors though. I've collected it in two colors here, a grey nylon which looks a bit too warm to me, and a greyish icy blue. Would the blue be too limiting in my wardrobe given that even in the summer I wear a lot of brights and darks? It comes in a bunch of other colors; I am tempted by the cobalt but I'm not sure I want a bright for summer (I already have several red bags.) The Madewell and the VC Lacy are 2 other similar options.
The last few (the perforated VC and the peacock print straw bags) are not really practical (they're all too small or have open tops) but I added them because I think they're just so pretty.
