Bottega Veneta Bags Spring 2011

I’m all for unconventional pairings when it comes to clothing–but when it comes to bags, I’m all for it and then some! So you can imagine my delight in seeing that Tomas Maier fused Bottega Veneta’s signature woven leather with some decidedly luxe skins for part of his spring bag collection. My favorite? The Cabat, natch, in particular the handsome grey version that pairs speckled woven leather with smooth, solid handles. It’s already at the top of my spring wish list. The rest of the bags, for you ladies, don’t disappoint either. The iconic knot clutches are back, this time redone in bulbous facades as if they’d been injected with fashion steroids. In general, the bags for spring are understated and whisper the same informal stance as their clothing counterparts. Cross-body bags, shoulder bags (dying over the honey-colored flat shoulder tote) and top-handled bags made of leather, canvas, and the aforementioned unconventional pairings of textures are fashioned in what Maier calls “imprecise shapes, finished with craftsmanship that has a naïve sensibility.”