Fashion notes: Avoid holiday handbag hassles

It’s the season of summer getaways. You will be giving careful thought to your holiday wardrobe. Perhaps the most popular oversight, however, occurs with handbags.

Bags of style: a model for Gucci shows off the label’s spring/summer looks, with extra accessorising. Catwalking / Getty Images
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In the age of Instagram, Snapchat and whatever other social technology trend you happen to be currently a part of, appearances are everything. Outfits must be tailored and steamed to a T, and make-up must be on-point if you're aiming for any kind of close-up or selfie, because let's be honest, wrinkly blouses and foundation smudges will hardly garner loads of likes from your followers. These are the sad-but-true pressures brought on by social media, which are difficult to adhere to on a day-to-day basis.

If you have caught the social-­media bug along with the rest of the world, or consider yourself a fashion blogger of some sort, the prospect of going on holiday, where there will be an ample amount of photo opportunities, will surely excite you. But the hardships of getting ready in the morning only increase when we’re not based in the comfort of our own home, where we take for granted our full-length mirrors, uber-bright lighting and powerful hair dryers. Because of the tight constrictions on luggage, we pack rather lighter than we might like for our trips, then are dismayed at our lack of potential outfits when we arrive – after all, outfit repeating within a single week is not preferable, especially on a platform such as Instagram.

It’s the season of summer getaways – Bali beach days and marvellous Maldives stays. Granted, you will be giving careful thought to your holiday wardrobe – floral maxi dresses, on-trend, off-the-shoulder tops and breezy culottes will likely find spots in your suitcase, along with a whole host of stylish swimwear.

Perhaps the most popular oversight, however, occurs with handbags. We may pack in a small cross-body purse for tourist excursions and explorations, but then forget to think about what we will carry to the beach or pool. Sometimes, we will throw in any old canvas tote bag at the last minute.

Often, the heaviest items in our suitcase are our handbags and shoes. We can live with one purse for a week, but simply can’t make do with just one pair of shoes – as a result, we remove a couple of purses, and our handbag quantity suffers. If you ask me, we’re missing out on a prime opportunity here to pack accessories that uplift our outfits and are extremely practical.

I always pack a minimum of three purses when I travel – a small clutch, a cute cross-body (with some dressy gold hardware or chain details, so it can be taken from day to night) and one larger tote that can withstand outdoor conditions – specifically the beach and poolside.

It’s also important to remember that your holiday itinerary may include a couple of nice dinners out, whether they’re at a fancy restaurant in the city or at your hotel. This may be an occasion where you can dress up a bit more, and also the point where your sandy beach tote or worn-every-other-day handbag may not be the ideal arm candy. So be sure to pack in a clutch just in case – you won’t regret it.

There are so many holiday handbag designs currently in stores. From travel totes to quirky clutches and practical pouches, they are ideal for your globe-trotting getaways. Have a stroll through the malls to purchase a new, perhaps tropical-­themed, bag for your upcoming trip.

I know that you aren’t thrilled about the idea of taking around a ragged, worn-out cloth bag with your old university logo on it, and at the same time, you certainly don’t want to get your handy but pricey Louis ­Vuitton Neverfull tote all wet and sandy.

hlodi@thenational.ae

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