Fashionista friends, welcome to Ageless Style 05.2024. Today we are talking and sharing straw handbags. And being the (retired) elementary school librarian that I am, I am likening this trend with the popular fairy tale “Rumpelstiltskin.” Haha, I just typed that as Rumplestiltskin and spell check yelled at me with one of its squiggly red underlines. All this time I have been spelling that wrong! I tell you, I learn something every day – even on my own blog!
Remembering Rumpelstiltskin
You are probably all somewhat familiar with this Brother Grimms’ story that was first published in a collection of fairy tales in the early 19th century. Rumpelstiltskin is a strange little man who comes to the rescue of a poor miller’s daughter who has been given the seemingly impossible task of spinning straw into gold. That after her dear ole dad bragged that she was able to do just that in order to earn himself a favorable impression with the king. Poor girl!!
She was thrown into a room in the castle and locked up tight with the threat of death hanging over her head in the morning if she didn’t complete her assignment. Exasperated, the young woman cries and cries until Rumpelstiltskin hears her cries and comes to her rescue. I am remembering something about him climbing up the castle wall and slipping in through an open window. Anyone else remember it that way? The door was locked so he had to come through the window, right? Or maybe he picked the lock?
Anyway, our hero agrees to spin the straw into gold if the maiden promises to give him her firstborn child.
‘Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!’
[source]
And then…
She strikes a bargain, her life is spared, the king ‘falls in love’ with the lass, she marries the king, oh, lucky child and the young queen becomes pregnant with his child. News of the pregnancy reaches R’s ears and he is quick to remind the queen of their agreement.
He turns up to collect the baby once it is born. And then you know the rest of the story… the new mom is devastated about losing her child and pleads with R to allow her to do something in order to keep the baby. He agrees that she may keep the babe if she can guess his name…and through a very strange coincidence, she does.
And they all live happily ever after…with the possible exception of Rumpelstiltskin. Almost misspelled it again.
What Does a Fairy Tale Have to do with Fashion?
Well, straw and other woven bags have been a popular trend in accessories for several years. And continue to be again in 2024. The fashion world is literally weaving straw into gold in the form of these stylish women’s purses. Kinda crazy that a ‘by-product of dried cereal grains like wheat, rye and barley’ are being woven into the bags seen on runways around the world. Have a look.
This spring, the straw and other woven purses trend continues to be strong. I found this video about handbag trends for the year, and tried to just share the part about woven bags but think I may have thrown in more than that. In addition to these natural fibers, other popular trends include leather and/or chain trim and circular bags. Another interesting trend that I encountered in several articles was the use of bright blue this spring in accessories, especially bags.
I had to laugh. Somehow, quite accidentally I’m sure, I happen to have a circular woven bag!! And a woven faux leather blue bag!! One article I read shared the popularity of extra large bags. I dug around in my bag chest and voila…guess what I found?? A large woven bag. Ha!! Guess I don’t need to buy any new purses this season.
My Bag
I didn’t get dressed up this week (or even last – we skipped church on Sunday) so I didn’t take any pictures of me holding my bags!! With the exception of this one taken in the mirror of Uptown Cheapskate Consignments where I picked up a new straw bag in the trendy bucket shape with the trendy ‘leather’ embellishments.
PC and I purged almost three big laundry baskets full of clothes so I took them to our new northeast Uptown Cheapskate and earned some extra cash. With some of the money earned, I purchased the straw bag for $9.99 and that Vera Bradley bag for $17.99 to use to carry my writing notebook and Chromebook to writing class.
The straw bag I really wanted was this cute little Michael Kors number that checks a lot of the boxes for being on-trend this spring.
- woven natural fabric/straw ☑️
- leather (pleather?) embellishments ☑️
- heavy chain detailing ☑️
- large, bucket sizing ☑️
Should I bite the bullet and go back to get it, if it’s still there? Yeah, I know…what happened to purging and having all the bags I need? And it is kind of pricey for me. Oh, if only Rumpelstiltskin could make me some gold.
Bags Out and About
Everywhere I have been lately, I have looked for and snapped pictures of straw and woven bags. Here is a slide show of some of my favorite finds.
Did you see anything that strikes your fancy? I like the retro straw pocketbook at Walmart. More structured. Jackie O.-esque and would look cute with one of those lady jackets that are all the rage right now. How about you?
Your Turn
All of this talk about bags and what do I do? Use the same ole same ole bag, day in and day out. As soon as I publish this post, I am going to change out the bag I am currently using and christen my ‘new’ straw bag. I just don’t think about changing my purses out. Do you do that regularly?
I’m sure my Ageless Style friends are much better about switching out accessories and bags. I remember I wore the same pair of earrings for months (didn’t have a lot of options) until a sweet angel who volunteered in my library gave me a new pair. Pitiful.
And now, let’s check out the straw bags my Ageless Style gal-friends are featuring today.
Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Bo ~ Bo’s Bodacious Blog
Blog / Instagram /Pinterest / Bloglovin’
Joanne ~ My Slice of Life
Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle
Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Rosemary ~ Distinctly Southern Style
Blog / Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook
And then link-up your favorite bag with us below.
P.S.
Guess what? The sky is crying. Crying, not falling!! We haven’t had rain in months and months. I prayed this morning for 30 minutes of rain. Felt very guilty to be so specific as if I were trying to give God directions. But prayers answered. Almost exactly 30 minutes of rain. Thank you, God!!
Off to scrapbook or iron or pick up magnolia leaves from our garden. Thank you for spending a few minutes here with me.
Hugs and kisses,
I love how you showcased all the different straw bags….I just love them all. For some reason they keep reproducing in my closet.
Great reminder of the fable too…I haven’t thought of that in so long,
XOOX
Jodie
I don’t know if I still have a straw bag somewhere but seeing everyone’s posts is making me want to go shopping and get one! Your new straw bag is super cute! Love the shape and leather details!
Jill – Doused in Pink
I used to have the coolest straw bag. It was a clam shell-like shape and was black. I got so many comments on it whenever I carried it. Unfortunately, it only had the small handle at the top of the clam shell. I love to sling my bag over my shoulder and carry it in my hand. It also didn’t open very wide or hold very much. I ended up donating it at some point. I love all the bags you’ve shown.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Oh, I bet your black clam shell bag was adorable. I have a round rattan or wicker one that doesn’t hold a dime and doesn’t stay closed well either but boy, it is cute!!
I love both your new bags! I use those Vera totes a lot in summer. I don’t often think to change out my bag but I do tend to for the new season or if we have a special night out or tip planned.
Seems like none of us remember to change out our bags!! I finally gave away a lot of mine because I just wanted using them for anything other than collecting dust. Hoping to use the ones I have now more regularly.
Those straw bags are super cute, Leslie! I love that you already had some in your closet and that you were also able to find other adorable woven bags for good prices.
Thank you so much. I am really enjoying finding bargains and hand-me-downs at our new thrift store.
I have a couple straw bags in my closet. I really want the one that looks like orange slices/wheels on the outside. I don’t know if you know what I’m talking about, but all the big trendy bloggers have them. LOL! I always hate when I want something and leave it behind… 🙁
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I haven’t thought about the Rumpelstiltskin story in ages, Leslie…and I’m still not sure I spelled it right. As for handbags, I do not own a straw one, but like you, I own a number of bags and tend to use the same one all the time. It seems like too much work to change out the contents for fashion’s sake.
I am trying to change out my bags more often. But have carried my little thrift store straw bag most of the summer.
Oh my – I loved the reminder about Rumpelstiltskin. Had long forgotten that tale.
Handbags – goodness, I have way too many and have been using the same one for the last year. Maybe it’s time I dragged out a couple of my Vera Bradley ones and switched. Enjoyed your post.
Iris
Hope you did drag out your Vera Bradley bags. I am using the ones I bought at the thrift store for my devotional things and my writing class supplies. That way I can just grab a bag and go. And not rearrange and empty and move stuff every time I need one or the other.
That straw bag is so cute! I love the leather accents!
Thank you. And it was a bargain!!
Oh I love them. I have been seeing straw bags everywhere.