Summer Straw Handbags

Summer is here and the perfect accompaniment to your summer sundress may be a straw handbag. There is a plethora to choose from. My search for such a handbag led me to think a bit about handbags in general and straw handbags in particular.

(Fashion: A History from the 18^th to the 20^th Century: The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute: Taschen)

In Ancient Greece (1500 B.C – 150 B.C.) women carried something similar the reticules of the 1700’s. These bags were made of a square piece of cloth held together with a drawstring.  (Bigelow, M.S. Fashion in History: Apparel in the Western World: Burgess Publishing Company) The drawstrings on reticules in the 1700’s were often made of silk cords or ribbons. Sometimes the fabric was attached to a solid ring and worn around the wrist like a bangle bracelet.  In both periods the addition of embroidery on the cloth signified the wealth and fashion consciousness of the wearer.

(www.purepeople.com)

(www.westfultonstreet.com)

But what of the straw handbag you ask? Jane Birkin for whom the iconic Hermes Birkin bag is named was known for her highly original use of the market basket as a handbag. As you can see in these photos she did not limit herself to carrying a straw handbag in warm weather.

You, like me, may wonder if Jane Birkin was the first to carry a straw handbag. Perhaps not as this fashion drawing from the 19^th century shows a woman carrying a box shaped bag with handles which appears to be made of straw.

Still, it is likely Jane Birkin, known for her iconic style and presence, inspired others to take up the straw basket and use it as is or modify it as a handbag.

So many handbags of straw! But what of the story of my handbag…

Living in the Texas Hill Country where the sun drenches us with vitamin D and sometimes white hot heat, it is necessary to have a hat. Straw hats are a passion of mine, so more than a few of them can be found in my closet.

This particularly hat has a brim so wide it requires me to lean back to see what is in front of me. Moreover, with every step the brim bounces up and down in front of my eyes further obscuring vision. Could the hat be repurposed?

It occurred to me the hat could be folded lengthwise, tucking the crown inside.  Hand-stitching around the longer outside edge of what had been the brim, resulted in a straw clutch with an inner space made from the crown. Two vintage mother of pearl buttons and a strip of leather left from another project formed the closure and completed the process.

I can carry the bag like this or tuck it high up under my arm. The little compartment made of the crown holds everything but my sunglasses!

What about this tiny basket purse from Jacquemus sprinkled with rhinestone buttons and tied with a ribbon covered handle?

Here is a similar bag with a wooden ring for a handle. Reminds me of the reticules of the 1700’s made to feel modern in straw!

(www.vogue.de)

Some might create something similar to this handbag by taking two straw placemats and connecting them with fabric, using canvas fabric binding to create a tie closure and handle.

(www.rolingstone.com)

You might choose a fabric you love, create a small reticule/pouch and stitch it to the bottom of a straw bag for a bespoke summer handbag inspired by this bag.

(www.allexpress.com)

With the current trend for adding flowers to a shoulder, waist, back, or inside the lining of a skirt, what about sewing a selection of silk flowers to a straw basket purse?

Is it just me, or could this handbag be a raffia bucket hat with a scarf strung through some reinforced holes at the brim?

(Alaia)

(Demellier)

Alaia, Balenciaga, and Demellier are all creating stunning handbags of straw!

Add to summer joy with a straw handbag to suit your own unique style!