With the purse shrinking to wallet-on-a-string size, the tote, for hauling shoes, news and assorted other necessities, is stepping into the style spotlight.
“As handbags get smaller and more structured, totes to drop them into are more important,” says Duane Jeffers, regional fashion director for Neiman Marcus stores.
The season’s hottest looks take their cue from fashion finishes. Patent leather shines on through summer in black, pastels and even chocolate brown. Mesh and clear materials play peek-a-boo with tote contents. Canvas is a cool and cheap summer option while woven sisal and burlap bags add dash to subtle looks.
“Many people are wearing denim and all white. Those are quiet clothes. You need texture to give them oomph,” says Corbin Seitz, fashion consultant for Target stores.
For those with big budgets, tony textures surface in exotic skins (or fakes) such as crocodile, alligator and snake.
On the design front, the rectangular schoolbook satchel is making a comeback in the wake of the schoolgirl-look popularity.
“It’s a soft alternative to a briefcase,” says Seitz.
But the newsiest tote shapes are neat rectangles, narrow-strapped with 8- to 9-inch-length handles worn on the shoulder and tucked up high under the arm, according to Jeffers. Feedbag and other free-form slings suit casual fabrications.
“Stick with more structured looks for the city,” says Jeffers, “with weekend or more relaxed off-hour looks in burlap and sisal.”
Save florals, bright stripes and other casual-look totes for the beach.
A quick way to glamorize a tote: Tie a colorful scarf (a status style is especially chic) to the handle.
Here’s how to sling your stuff safely
Switch sides frequently when carrying a shoulder load to avoid chronic muscle contraction, advises exercise physiologist Kim Rostello, of the Human Performance Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
To keep a shoulder tote close to your side without tensing the neck, shoulder and back, crook the arm and relax it on top of the bag, she says.
Though a tool of the trade for dancers and models, outsized shoulder totes throw posture out of balance to compensate for their weight. Instead, Rostello advises splitting a large load into two smaller bags of equal weight.
If you double up on your totables–one for gym, one for work–the best aesthetic balance is carried off with a shoulder tote under one arm and a hand-held duffel in the opposite hand, says Duane Jeffers of Nieman Marcus.
Hand duffels should be small enough that they don’t bang against your leg and carried with a relaxed hand “so the whole arm is not tight,” says Rostello.
The success of the mini-backpack has enabled large-size backpack toters to shoulder both straps without feeling like big nerds on campus. Adjust straps so that the bag is snug against the upper back keeping weight close to the body, says Rostello.
Finally, ask yourself, “Do I need to carry all this stuff?” she advises. Then dump the overload.
