Yes, your handbag now needs a coat
When it comes to details, the possibilities are endless, finds Lisa Armstrong
One of the stand-out bags in Milan was Tod’s satchel (below), a pleasingly sleek, pragmatic shape that chimes beautifully with the glamorous functionality that summed up the week’s mood. The whole collection, with its emphasis on streamlined, luxe leather clothes, was an exercise in aspirational dressing. But the bags are the accessible, take-out story. For the bag that has everything, Valextra introduced a transparent plastic waterproof coat. “So many of our customers were asking how they should protect their Valextras when it rains – especially those in exotic skins,” explained CEO Sara Ferrero at the brand’s presentation in Milan last week.
Ferragamo also had bag-coats in its shows, so perhaps this is about to become a category. The bag market could certainly use some fresh innovation following the success of micro bags and detachable straps.
It was interesting seeing the bag-coat at Valextra – and yes, its detachable sheepskin, and mink handle covers. Valextra is one of those under-the-radar labels that makes unimpeachably high-quality, un-logoed, tasteful bags but has not, until now, been known for its sense of kitsch or humour.
Valextra bags have no tell-tale symbols – unless you happen to be a bag buff who recognises the gilt-edged shagreen clasps on some of their styles.
Yet in a world where bling still holds sway, there’s a growing number of Valextra cognoscenti. Ferrero told me they’re having trouble keeping the smaller sizes of the Iside in stock and are limiting sales in some stores to no more than three per customer. Echoes of Chanel and Hermès.
Given that these bags start at around £1,500 for the micros, that’s an expensive habit– but there’s something incontrovertibly right about the Iside’s proportions, deceptive simplicity and the fact that it’s available in 28 subtle shades.
It has now been joined by the Passepartout, a new Valextra bag that can be fastened four different ways to create quite distinctive shapes. Versatility is increasingly becoming a sales pitch in accessories (see Ferragamo’s coat, opposite, with its detachable cape). So are options. Where previously one heel height ruled per season (high or flat), now there are gradations for different events, times of the day and the many variations of human feet. Ever wondered why some women can walk – and even run – all day in high heels with not so much as a twinge of discomfort? Apparently it’s all down to the shape of your foot. At Jimmy Choo’s presentation in Milan last week, creative director Sandra Choi, whose business it is to study these things, explained that the higher the arch, the more effortless a high-pitched shoe feels. That may explain why so many glamorous Russian women at fashion week prance around in 110mm. The limos help. But the ballet lessons from aged five help more. It’s women like these that Italian shoe labels such as Casadei and René Caovilla target. Casadei has collaborated with Russian socialite Elena Perminova on a collection, while Caovilla confines production of its hand-made footwear to 1,000 a year – exactly the kind of unbridled luxury that women with high insteps adore. For something more grounded, literally, Jimmy Choo now has 14 heel heights – ranging from 30mm to 150mm. The former is a loveable micro-stiletto that gives you the comfort of a flat – perhaps more, since some women find flats hurt their backs – with a slight lift that works well with just above the ankle kickflare trousers. Choo’s other new details include a heel that looks like a block from the back but a stiletto from the side and is set far back, to help make women feel more grounded, and a high-cut front. Since the high cut has been all over the catwalks and is already available in some shops (Topshop, for instance), it’s fair to assume it will be one of those handy wardrobe updaters that will take us well into winter and beyond.