You know we’re in the middle of a very neutral summer. Everywhere you look, there are beige linen dresses, sandy-coloured plaited rugs, raw plaster walls and griege pottery… Golden hour highlights are the aesthetic of Summer 2019 and the accessory that sets off this home spun, back to nature colour palette? The plaited straw basket. It’s the ultimate mix of natural materials, pale tones and sunshine holiday vibes and sales of baskets at NET-A-PORTER.COM have more than doubled since this time last year.
Our favourite Instagrammers have fallen for the basket because it’s the perfect carry-all for summer days out and trips as well giving your outfit an instantly ‘well travelled’ appearance. Like you picked it up in a little artisan store off the beaten track in Ibiza or on a market stall you stumbled across in St Tropez (even though it came in a sleek black box from Net-a-porter.com…)
Authenticity is fashion’s biggest buzzword, after sustainability, but when there’s a basket made boujee with a Loewe leather plaque, we’re there. Loewe, designed by Northern Irish-born Jonathan Anderson has created a leather trimmed basket bag, woven from durable palm leaves, and this is the basket that is grabbing the limelight right now. The Loewe bag has been spotted on @monikh, @emmahill and @alicecatherine’s feeds. “It’s definitely not always practical,” Alice told GLAMOUR, “but I like that it lets people know you’re not taking life too seriously! There’s something very romantic about all of those black and white images of Jane Birkin swinging a basket bag around.”
Indeed Brigitte Bardot and Birkin are the icons to emulate when it comes to basket carrying. Although Jane famously had Hermes name the Birkin for her (when she sat next to former artistic director Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight and told him what her dream – non-basket – bag would look like) it’s Birkin’s insouciant style that always chimes with the basket.
The basket’s care-free vibes makes them the perfect holiday item, although if you’re transplanting them into the city, the main thing to worry about is how to keep things safe. And obviously, when we move into rainy autumn, the straw might get a bit soggy… Baskets look right at home in a Mediterranean market, brimming with ripe tomatoes, but if you’re navigating the central line their open-plan look makes it easy for people reach in and help themselves to your prize possessions. Namely, my shoes (I write from experience…) @ericadavies – a life long basket fan – has a clever solution for this.
“I have lots of baskets that I’ve collected over the years, but I’m currently obsessed with my Loewe one. It comes with a handy dustbag you can use inside. It means you can keep things like your purse and phone safe without them being open to everyone!” Who says fashion is never practical? We’ll be carrying our baskets way into a golden autumn…
