There is no better time for a large handbag, I am convinced, than in the fall. In the summer, it’s sunny and hot out and everything is beaches and balmy patios; you don’t want to have to lug a lot around with you. But as the days cool off, it’s handy to have a little extra space to carry around a spare sweater, or to toss your scarf into when you enter a heated room.
Elegant Greys with Vince Camuto
In my infinite wisdom, I have somehow managed to go my entire life without owning a grey purse. I’ve owned a couple grey clutches (which I carried religiously for months at a time), but through all these years … I still haven’t found the perfect grey bag to carry around.
This Vince Camuto Leila Leather Tote Bag in Driftwood makes me want to rethink that entire situation, because its tone and texture look excellent. Grey bags are often very blue-toned, which means that they only really look at home on cool-toned or very vivid outfits, but the Leila Leather Tote is a much warmer.
The Leila tote’s sleek but distinctive style fits in a little better in evening settings than your standard tote bag, which is great to see. If you absolutely must carry a large bag, it’ll transition well from a busy daytime look to an evening hangout.
Classic looks with Fossil tote and crossbody bags
There are a few different Emma tote bags available in the current Fossil lineup, but the way that they’ve done the Emma is one of my favourites. Instead of releasing bags as a single style, Fossil routinely releases their handbags as collections. There are a few different colours, a few different styles, and a few different shapes available for each handbag name, but the general look of each variation is more or less the same.
For the fall, I’m really loving the Fossil Emma Leather Tote Bag in Wine, which stands at 32 cm deep and features a glazed leather interior. It’s lush, vibrant, and supple, with a zippered main closure, a zippered interior pocket, and two media pockets. It can be tough to find a tote bag with a zippered closure, which makes the Emma a bit special–you definitely want a zipper if you drop your handbag a lot, or if you get to and from work on a busy street or on public transit.
The small wine-coloured Emma Tote is large enough to hold an iPad or tablet, and it has a handy exterior back pocket for frequently used items like a transit pass or keycard.
Not everyone goes really dark for the fall, though, so the Fossil Emma Leather Tote in Beige is another great option for someone who wants more space or a lighter-toned bag. (If you wear a lot of monochromatic black or grey looks, a beige leather tote is one of my personal favourite ways to finish off a look!) It too has a glazed leather finish that ages well, but it comes with even more pockets: the same back slide pocket and zippered pocket, but with an additional 3 credit card slots, a pen holder, and 2 front slide pockets. Unlike the smaller Wine bag, the Beige Emma Leather Tote stands 51 cm deep.
Fossil is having an excellent season, so I actually have a third bag to share with you today: their simple Fossil Peyton Leather Crossbody Bag in Black. It has a silhouette that’s reminiscent of the 70s, with its curved bottom, but the soft black leather exterior and double flap closure give it a modern twist.
The Peyton Crossbody is a great bag for shopping or running errands (look ma, no hands!) and is large enough to hold an iPad mini or a similarly sized tablet. Like this season’s tote bags, it also comes with a Fossil key accessory, but it has a secure, fold-over snap closure instead of a zipper.
And then there’s this Cole Haan Nomad tote
I tried my very, very best to come up with a better subheading than, “And then there’s this Cole Haan Nomad tote,” I really did, but I got absolutely nowhere with my endeavour. I don’t know if it’s the sleep deprivation or what, but this Cole Haan bag (also available in black as shown at top of post) speaks to me.
The light, mushroom-grey colour is luxurious and completely perfect for this tote bag’s soft silhouette, and something about its curved handles works ever so gracefully for the bag itself. I love the gentle fold-over of the bag’s edges, and the almost-hidden zipper of the main pocket. I adore the unobtrusive front and back pockets and their snap closures, keeping your belongings tucked away in the relatively secure privacy of your purse.
The Cole Haan Leather Tote Bag in Nomad is shaped almost like a handbag done in a tote size, and I think it’s fantastic. The pebbled leather exterior looks so plush, and the polished light gold-tone O-rings look beautiful against Cole Haan’s precise stitching. The entire affair is just so classy and practical that it melts like butter to my eyes, and I hope to see entire legions of women carrying this bag this season!Â
If you love the Nomad (or any of these other bags) as much as I do, they’re available conveniently at Best Buy. As I mentioned recently in my tech and style post, however, more bags will be arriving for the fall/winter season soon, so make sure to keep checking back on the blog and the site for more great finds and styling picks!
