Most of us will steal away this Summer — be it to a lakeside cabin, a quiet beach, or a bustling city — for at least a few days, and the key to effortless travel during the warmer months is packing light. With sunny getaways in our near future (you know, the ones that require little more than a bathing suit and a few coverups) and a "no checked-bag" policy guiding our decision-making process, here are our top picks for chic weekender bags, duffels, and oversized totes. You'll be ready to jet, with no annoying waits in baggage claim.
Make Like Milan's Street Stylers With a High-Shine Handbag

The street style at Milan Fashion Week is always polished and ladylike, and this season I'm taking inspiration from the fashion set's statement handbags, from Anna Dello Russo's Moschino shine and the pink, gold and blue Paula Cademartori Satin Silvye to a black and gold classic. The metallic arm candy in Italy is an all-eyes-on-me affair, and is a great way to dip your toe (or arm) into the high-shine trend we saw on the Spring 2013 catwalks of London Fashion Week. Shop my picks below, and tell me if your accessories will shine this Autumn!
4 Handbag Styles You Need This Summer
We've already shown you
Crazy For Crocodile
If you're going to go for the ultimate in luxury skins, then crocodile should be at the top of your list. It's durable and it can be made patent and shiny, or buffed out to a smooth finish. The best part too is that it's easily copied so you can have a faux croc bag, belt or pair of shoes without having to harm anything at all! Take this Grey Mock Crocodile Leather Pashli Bag, 3.1 from Phillip Lim for example (£905). Although it's quite pricey, it is still made of real leather, but looks a whole level more amazing. Shop more crocodile accessories below and let me know which items you'd allow to bite a hole in your wallet.
What's Your Luxury Handbag IQ?
You've seen the bags on stylish women and celebs and heard their names thrown around, but would you recognize an iconic, luxury handbag? You stand to lose fashion street cred if you can't. Take our quiz on iconic bags, and learn what makes them so special.
Source: What's Your Luxury Handbag IQ?
What's Your Luxury Handbag IQ?
You've seen the bags on stylish women and celebs and heard their names thrown around, but would you recognize an iconic, luxury handbag? You stand to lose fashion street cred if you can't. Take our quiz on iconic bags, and learn what makes them so special.
Source: What's Your Luxury Handbag IQ?
Mulberry's Latest Launch Is the Evelina Collection
Out in stores yesterday was the brand-new Evelina handbag collection from Mulberry. This gorgeous, buttery leather, ostrich and a hint-of-haircalf leopard-print range was inspired by the English seaside as a pre-Spring/Summer 2012 line. Think of Brighton, with its whimsical arcades, pier lights, and ice cream cones everywhere. These bags come in brown, Summer khaki, and black in three styles: satchel, large satchel, and hobo and have a signature hardware plaque on top of the strap. I quite fancy the Soft Grain Large Satchel in Black for its luxe finish and practicality. The bags range from £595 - £4,000 and are available in store and online now.
How Do You Feel About The Oversized Clutch?

The other night in Los Angeles, Lauren Conrad attended an event for the British clothing brand Hoss hosted by Cat Deeley. Both of the girls looked amazing in their short dresses, perfectly coiffed blonde hair and oversized clutch evening bags. These bags caught my eye because I've been seeing a lot of them this season, and typically a clutch bag is small and used for evening wear. However, I'm a big fan of the roomier bag, as I am never able to fit everything from my phone to my keys, makeup, credit cards and money into a small sized clutch. Shop more of these bags below and let me know what you think of this souped up style.
How Well Do You Know Your Hot Celebrity Handbags?
From covetable carryalls to luxe duffles and totes, the lineup of 2011 It bags looks pretty juicy — and especially lust-worthy on the arms of our favorite celebrities. We've spotted fashion fixtures like Sienna Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ashley Olsen toting the goods, and now we're testing your handbag IQ. Do you know the designers behind these celebs' hot handbags?
60 Drool-Worthy Handbags From Milan Fashion Week
On the heels of Milan Fashion Week comes our essential handbag hot list. And trust us, it's hot. We saw tons of covetable carryalls, from structured, ladylike satchels to slouchy pochettes with some car-covered clutches thrown in (thanks, Prada!). More than anything, Milan showed us the resurgence of teeny-tiny, chain-strap wristlets — big enough to hold all of your evening essentials, but small enough to not ruin your night — which we saw on the runways at D&G, Moschino, Versace, and more. We've rounded up 60 of our absolute favorite bags from Milan Fashion Week, so click through to see them all now and add to your Spring 2012 investment shopping list.



