One definite trend with regard to handbags, that was really seen in the 2011 Spring Fashion Weeks, was color.  Colors were evident with regard to the fashion collections for clothes, but also with regard to handbags.  It s almost like a salute to the end of the economic downturn and instead of hiding our wealth away and trying not to be too ostentatious, instead, we now want to show off the fact that we have the most beautiful pink bag, yellow bag or so on.  It is truly about colors and about color associated with sensuality.  We don’t want to go back to the low key days of 2008-2010, no we want bold colors and lots of different textures.

The very individual designer Lanvin has taken color to a new dimension with the Happy Pouchettes, which are just a riot of color and would look fabulous in many different settings; from a wedding to a party or even to the office.  But not perhaps for any sombre occasion.  The explosion of color contained in the flowers that form this rather distinctive handbag really make a bold statement which makes this not a bag that is about blending in with the crowd.  Wearing a bag like this is going to get you noticed and in a really positive way.  Bags like this are very definitely expensive and well made, but they are also quite individual; you will not see this bag in lots of places, it will definitely be a talking point.  Combining the use of color, different textures and flowers is a really stunning combination and one that really hrieks out about

But color is not the preserve of Lanvin in 2011, Jason Wu, Alexander Chang, Stella McCartney and a whole host of other designers have all embraced colors and different use of tonal contrast or different hardware, so that there is definitely  sense of being bold and bright, in a rather special womanly way.  Instead of ignoring our feminine side, it is now being celebrated.  We no longer have to drag round huge bucket bags.  Instead we can have beautiful, womanly bags that are an explosion of color.

In particular the use of very pretty colors such as baby pink or even a very gentle lilac or blue make these bags very feminine, which makes a refreshing change.  It is great to see bold, statement bags that are still very much about being a very feminine woman, so you can have a really pink bag or one that is a soft yellow.  You don’t have to have a shocking green bag to be right on trend.  So it really is possible to have really strong colors with bags that are still very much about being a woman and being very sensual.  That is a really unique combination and one that we ought to treasure as being special and one that respects our choice about showing our feminine side, whilst still being fashionable.  What a joy 2011 is in terms of fashion!