Spring is a great time of year to refresh everything. It’s customary to sweep out the old and usher in the new — and that applies to your wardrobe, too! After all, you’re probably ready to retire the hefty tote you hauled around all winter and embrace a lighter, fresher spring handbag for 2022.
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First, let’s recap spring purse trends. Five hot styles for spring, 2022 are:
- Pouch necklaces
- Fashion sports bags
- Bold box purses
- Crochet
- Clutches
Read on for five purses for spring that are sure to step up your style game, plus nine essential tips for buying your next it bag.
1. Pretty neck pouch
If a belt bag and a mini bag had a baby, it’d be the neck pouch. You can easily find the style in woven or leather construction. The leather pouches have a Native American vibe, while the woven bags are more Bohemian.
I love this pretty pouch for its heavy side stitching and circular metal detail on the front. It doesn’t hold much — your lucky crystal, a compact lip color, or your house key. But you can wear it around your neck so it doubles as jewelry.
Pick it up at LovelyApothecaryShop’s Etsy store for $25.
2. The sporty tote
A tote is an essential spring purse style if you’ll be spending more time adventuring outdoors. You need a place to keep your sunblock and eye wear, right? Under Armour’s “favorite tote bag” is a good candidate. This handbag is light, sturdy, waterproof, and — importantly — pretty. The price is right, too, at $35.
Reach for this tote when you’re headed to the gym or you need a larger bag that’ll add pizazz to your look. At 12.4 inches deep and 18.7 inches long, you can hold all your essentials and then some. The strap is a mid-length, long enough to wear on your shoulder and short enough to hold in your hand.
3. The spring statement purse
Every girl needs at least one seriously bold handbag to add an unexpected splash of color to pretty spring dresses, basic jeans, and plain white tees — all of your springtime wardrobe staples.
Anthropologie’s hot pink mini tote fits the statement bill easily. The color plus the resin chain detail, attached with a gold link, makes for a vibrant and fun accessory.
This is a medium-sized bag, measuring 8 inches deep and 6.5 inches wide. You can hold the bag by the strap or the chain — but I like the look of the chain hanging down over the bag.
Get this bag on sale for $60, marked down from the original price tag of $75.
4. The earthy beauty
Keep things sweet and simple with a little bit of help from this charming crochet bucket bag available at Popbae, priced at $44.
The compact silhouette makes this bucket bag a practical option — it folds easily into your weekender bag, for example. This spring purse measures about 11 inches by 10 inches. You can easily stash your phone, keys, and your small wallet inside.
The pretty blue floral pattern will accessorize your spring dresses and jumpsuits perfectly, especially those that are bolder solid colors or neutral patterns.
5. The clutch
The clutch is a classic choice for your formal occasion. This season, clutches are going casual, too.
Lulu’s Shining Sun Tan Woven Clutch is the perfect spring and summer piece to complement your casual outfits. Travel with it or carry it on days when you’d rather be on vacation. It’s light and airy, but interesting enough to hold its own against a summer dress or bright blouse atop your fav jeans.
Make this woven clutch yours for $39.
9 tips for buying purses for spring
Here are nine steps to verify the quality and staying power of a new handbag. Use them to check budget brand purses or designer pieces. If you’re shopping online, verify that your retailer offers free returns. That way, you can go through the nine-point test once it ships to you, but then send it back if you need to.
Specifically for leather bags:
- Smell the purse. Leather has a certain, slightly gamey smell to it. If the bag you’re shopping has no smell or smells like plastic, then most likely it’s fake.
- Do the oil test. Rub your finger on your skin or hair and then rub it on the leather of the purse. If it leaves a stain or a streak, then it’s not quality leather and/or it hasn’t been treated properly. Good leather repeals oil.
- Do the scratch test. Gently scratch the surface of the bag. If the color of the scratch is different than the rest of the bag, that means the leather was painted on, rather than dyed through. At some point, the paint will chip.
And for any bag:
- Do the scratch test. Scratch the surface of the hardware to see if it’s true metal or painted metallic. If it’s painted on, at some point it will chip.
- Check the stitching. Gently pull the bag the seams. Does the stitching pull? If so, the imagine what will happen when you put all your stuff in there.
- Put it on your shoulder. Is it comfortable or does it feel like it’s slipping off your shoulder? You’re not going to use an uncomfortable bag, no matter how cute it is.
- Do the fit test. Take everything out of your current bag and place it inside the bag under consideration. Does it fit? If not, you either have to get rid of some of the stuff in your bag (probably a good idea) or move on to the next candidate.
- Check to see if it’s lined. Lining, both in handbags and in clothing, is a sign of a higher quality garment — because it costs the manufacturer extra to add it it. In the case of handbags, lining protects the leather of the bag from the wear and tear of the contents of your bag.
- Keep the embellishments to a minimum. The one thing that can really date a bag is the use of embellishments like feathers or dated fabrics (think stonewashed denim). Make sure the bag has basic, neutral stitching and simple hardware.
