If I can take you back along the memory lane of holidays past, beach attire was very much a baggy oversized T-shirt you were happy to sweat in, and whatever Millets floral cool bag/market basket/Tesco bag for life you could ram into an easyJet locker. Fast forward to our hyper-visual, super-brag status era and how things have changed. Lounging around on the sand now requires an aesthetic mood and carefully curated style persona. I can remember being aghast the first time I flopped on Pampelonne beach, that heavenly strip of pampered St Tropez princesses, and saw a Louis Vuitton carry-all being dumped next to a lounger holding children’s spades. This now feels commonplace. We have arrived at a point where the humble beach bag has morphed into a luxury play, or in the words of Libby Page, Net-a-Porter’s market director, “Excess-ories”.
Last weekend at the Hurlingham Club’s Outdoor Pool I was confronted by the cult Prada raffia tote dangling from the arm of one member (calm down, I only have guest status). Given that the usual summer luggage of this crowd tends more towards preppy LL Bean tote bags, or something they found on the floor of the Range Rover, this felt like quite the cut-through.
That glossy west Londoner isn’t the only one who’s fallen for the charms of a status summer tote. Lyst, the fashion shopping app, has noted an increase of 144 per cent in searches for Prada’s triangle raffia tote bag (a cool £1,500), as well as a rise of 183 per cent in searches for the as-adored Loewe x Paula’s Ibiza collaboration raffia tote (from around £725).
Other hot items include Isabel Marant’s Cadix mini bag — sold out everywhere, though the midi size (£455) is still available — as well as Coach’s structured straw tote (£395). Alongside the now Prada classic (it first launched its raffia bag in 2020 — its popularity is still peaking) is Dior’s woven book tote (from £2,650), first released in 2018. That box-square bag is reimagined every season and has become a key icon of the house, as well as doing strong trade in the fake market. The last time I was in Mallorca the dupe-sellers had armfuls of them. It’s as likely to be spotted in Asda (fake) as Le Club 55 (very much real). This summer’s most lusted-after are pastel-hued from its Dioriviera capsule as well as the punkish Miss Dior versions currently doing strong service in its Harrods pop-up.
L-R: Medium Dior Book Tote, £2,650, Dior; Qoffa basket in palm leaves, £630, Alaïa ; Bow detail raffia tote, £445, Erdem, Net-a-porter ; Canasta striped straw tote, Sensi Studio, £250, Net-a-porter
Why are we seeing this hype jump? Net-a-Porter’s Page suggests that “it’s all about embracing personality and individual style with big, bold accessories. This provides a refreshing departure from the pared-back aesthetic of recent times and continues to influence the rising microtrend of the luxury beach bag. They are ideal travel companions. They are easily foldable and… have the space to hold all beach essentials, personal items and more.” She’s seen her traffic for raffia bags increase by 70 per cent in the last three months, while searches for Loewe raffia bags have increased by 90 per cent in the same period.
L-R: Small cabas thais, £1350, Celine ; Anagram small palm and leather bag, Loewe, rent from £128 for four days, Hurr ; Crochet tote bag, £1500, Prada ; Cotton canvas tote, £75, Sporty and Rich, Ssense
There are, of course, cannier ways to grab an armful of that high-status lifestyle. Smart fashion fans are heading to Hurr where Loewe’s many iterations of posh baskets have been in its top three rented pieces for weeks. Hiring a holiday wardrobe is the latest flex for those on a budget but still keen to transmit a champagne attitude.
It also underscores the investment potential of designer handbags. Lauren Stevenson, founder of PR agency Aisle 8, sold her beloved Dior book bag to help pay for her new kitchen. House renovated, she’s since bought back into the trend with a Prada number. “They might be a little more costly than my previous Ibiza market bag finds,” she says. “But they act as my hand luggage (I can literally get in a day’s worth of clothes and everything for my toddler for a two-hour flight) and as my work bag for the remainder of the summer months.” Personally? I’ll be throwing my daughter’s sea shells into a freebie cloth bag, but as ever, you do you. No judgement here.
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