New York Fashion Week handbag trends from the runway for fall 2011

New York Fashion Week ended on Thursday, but the handbag trends from the runway are still fresh on the minds of the fashion world as the focus shifts to London Fashion Week. There were five dominant trends on the New York Fashion Week runways that handbag fans are watching closely to see if they continue into London, Milan and Paris fall collections; shades of red, tassels, small daytime clutches, top handle satchels (Lady Bag’s) and long shoulder straps. Red popped up on the runways of almost every designer during New York Fashion Week, such as MARC by Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren and Jason Wu. Red was shown in shades of bright cherry red, wine-red, Bordeaux and burgundy. Designers used red for smooth leather, satin, exotic skins and suede. Red was shown during Men’s fashion week in Paris and Milan last month, signaling that New York and Berlin are not the only fashion areas using the red for fall. The small daytime clutch, which was a large trend on the spring 2011 runways, continued on the fall 2011 runways in New York. The clutches were more structured on the fall runways than the spring runways, which was in line with the more structured garments shown by designers. The long shoulder strap continued from spring on the fall runways in New York as well. Marc Jacobs, Diesel and Milly by Michelle Smith showed shoulder bags with the long shoulder strap. The style works perfectly with the 1970’s trend on the runways and was shown with flap closures, also a style from the 1970’s. The Lady Bag, which was the “IT” bag for fall 2010 and took a small hiatus in spring 2011 is coming back with a vengeance for fall 2011. Almost every designer showed a version of the handbag with either one top handle or two. The top handle satchel or “Lady Bag,” was shown in casual and structured silhouettes showing the importance of the style for fall. Tassels once again graced the flap closures, straps and seams of handbags on the runways in New York for fall. Tassels came in all shapes and sizes and fit perfectly with the boho-chic trend and 1970’s trend shown in the collections. A few designers such as Marc Jacobs, took early 1900’s inspiration in the form of art deco and flapper style dresses. The tassels worked with on handbags paired with apparel from this era as well as the 1970’s vintage looks. It should be interesting to see what London, Paris and Milan bring the handbag fashion world. Will they continue with long shoulder straps? Will there be additional styles of top handle satchels or Lady Bags? Will the daytime time clutch continue? Will red pop out once again? Stay tuned as I cover the runways from London, Paris and Milan to find out!