If you want an easy way to switch your spring wardrobe into high-summer mode, take a leaf out of Jane Birkin’s book and embrace the basket bag. It doesn’t have to be as structured as Birkin’s; modern tastes lean towards the more pliable straw and raffia, which share the same carefree appeal.
‘A great basket bag will always be a summer staple for me: timeless, practical and reminiscent of the markets I love to visit on holiday in the south of France,’ says Carole Bamford, whose elegant Bamford x CubaLab collection is hand-woven by artisans in Italy’s San Patrignano rehabilitation community.
Of course, not all bags are created equal. You may already be familiar with Loewe’s £395-plus Anagram baskets, which have become a status symbol at smart poolsides, along with Anya Hindmarch’s iterations.
If three-figure sums seem a little steep for something you reckon you could find for a tenner at a beach shack, remember it shouldn’t be too cheap – if it is, someone is not being paid properly. That, or it will lack the integrity to hold your essentials. The Colombia Collective, which works with artisan communities across the country, sets a good benchmark, with bags between £58 and £198.
It’s worth seeking out quality if you consider what we may demand from a basket: a robust investment that can carry a water bottle, Kindle, airport magazine haul, sun cream and a towel. Strathberry founders Guy and Leeanne Hundleby take this seriously. ‘It doesn’t matter what fabrication the bag, we load them up,’ Leeanne says. ‘When we made our first silhouettes, Guy used to put in weights and swing them, like: these handles must not fall off.’
There’s also a case to be made for an evening basket bag, to team with a flowy maxi dress or linen suit. A structured style comes into its own here; part-sculpture, part-vessel, entirely chic. As long as it has a handle, it doesn’t even need to be an actual bag: a friend repurposed a hotel toilet-roll holder for a Greek wedding and received compliments on it all night.
They’re not just a holiday thing, either. Come summer, it is perfectly acceptable to stow your laptop in a basket bag and take it to work. In fact, the young Birkin used hers year-round. Inspiration doesn’t get more stylish than that.
Try these...
Basket with whale charm, £49.99, Zara; Pom pom bag, £98, The Columbia Collective
Rounded straw, £87, Arket; Leather trim, £446, Hereu
Handmade recycled plastic, £98, Lalo; Leather and woven with shoulder strap, £395, Bamford x CUBA LAB
Woven leather, £349, Dragon Diffusion; Straw bag, £358, Sensi Studio
Basket, £174, Heimat Atlantica; Leather and raffia bag, £355, Strathberry
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