Some of my favorite summer bags I’ve come across this season:
VEE COLLECTIVE STRIPED PORTER TOTE (30% OFF WITH VEEPRESALE30) // GUCCI WOVEN MINI BAG // ALA VON AUERSPERG STRAW BAG // RUE DE VERNEUIL FRANCOISE STRIPED BAG (ON SALE) // RUE DE VERNEUIL X LA LIGNE TRAVERSEE TOTE // MANSUR GAVRIEL EVERYDAY SOFT BAG (ON SALE) // LOEWE POCKET BAG // CUYANA PALOMA BAG
I am specifically hoping for one of the Loewe “pocket” bags for my birthday. (Landon?! Are you listening?!). They are so charming and highly practical for my lifestyle right now. Over the weekend, we took the kids to see the “Lilo and Stitch” movie (deeply heartwarming! — I enjoyed it) at the theater ten minutes from us, and I brought only this Celine phone sling! It was so liberating. Of course, my son was begging for wipes because of sticky candy fingers, but we made do. I think I’d love the Loewe because it’s a tad bigger — could hold mini wallet/card case, phone, keys, and lipgloss. Perfect!
Everyday Summer Bags for Mom Life.
I want to call out a sub-category of everyday purses: for moms of young children! Each of these bags are great schlepping totes that can fit a ton of essentials, but don’t sacrifice style/color! Each of these spark joy and would totally make a uniform of jean shorts and a tee!
Don’t forget pouches like these for sunscreen, snacks, toys, changes of clothes. Makes finding everything much easier and they are wipeable — and if they get destroyed, they aren’t so expensive as to be ultra-precious. Sharing more bag pouches at the bottom of this post!
LA PLAGE TOTE // VEE COLLECTIVE STRIPED PORTER TOTE (30% OFF WITH VEEPRESALE30) // NAGHEDI MEDIUM ST. BARTHS TOTE (LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // RUE DE VERNEUIL X LA LIGNE TRAVERSEE TOTE // TIMO ET VIOLET FLORA TOTE
If you’re more into the chocolate brown vibe for this summer, try this chic $104 tote from If Only If, seen below. Obsessed with her yellow dress, too…
Woven Bags for Summer.
I’m such a fan girl for a woven/straw bag. All my favorites below.
LOEWE FLAMENCO MEDIUM BAG // MIU MIU MINI CROCHET BAG // GAP SLOUCHY STRAW TOTE // ALC SIMONE RAFFIA BAG // MADEWELL CAMREN STRAW BAG // ALA VON AUERSPERG STRAW BAG // LOEWE POCKET BAG // SEZANE JUSTINE STRAW RAINBOW STRIPE BAG // GUCCI WOVEN MINI BAG
Leather Bags for Summer.
Finally, if you’re not into straw or want something with a bit more polish — my favorite leather bags for the season ahead.
TORY BURCH LEE RADZIWILL DOUBLE BAG // CUYANA PALOMA BAG // FRP COLLECTION SYLVIA SMALL BAG // PHILIP LIM SOLEIL BAG (CLEARANCE PRICE!)// UPBULL WOVEN CROSSBODY // MANSUR GAVRIEL EVERYDAY SOFT BAG (ON SALE) // SAVETTE POCHETTE
Bag Pouches for Summer.
I own and love almost all of these pouches — I’m totally a pouch queen. I love this exact Minnow one for my own stuff — perfect petite but not too petite size — and the Pehr ones are fabulous for kids’ stuff. I often find myself using these (one for each kid) when I’m wrangling stuff for the pool, camp, tennis, etc. Great way to keep all of my daughter’s hair ties, SPF, spare socks, etc in one bag and my son’s gear in the other.
PEHR POUCHES // MINNOW POUCH // SNACKS POUCH // ZIPPERED CLEAR POUCHES // WEEZIE TERRY POUCHES // AMAZON FLORAL POUCH
Summer Bag Charms.
Last but not least, one easy way to transform a favorite all-year-round bag into something that screams summer: add a seasonal bag charm. There are so many cute/fun and on-trend options out there right now. A few of my favorites below.
CLEMENTINE BAG CHARM // TASSEL BAG CHARM // PEGASUS BAG CHARM // SARDINE BAG CHARM // LEMON BAG CHARM // BEAD BAG CHARM (GREAT LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // CORD BAG CHARM // GOLD FISH BAG CHARM
Inspo below:
Veronica Beard has some cool and very on-trend paracord bag straps, too, if you’re into that! (More on the cord / bungee / rope trend here.)
P.S. What do you carry in your bag?
P.P.S. Do you have any updates/additions to our community-generated list of great Substacks? (Read the comments!)
P.P.P.S. My review of The Berry Pickers. Great book for summer.
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I was just looking at a new bag for summer as I am exiting the diaper bag era and entering the mom bag phase and thought I wonder if Jen and the Magpies have any good recs! I keep coming back to the small LL Bean boat and tote with a playful silk scarf wrapped around one handle. They’re such a workhorse! But now I’m eying the Naghedi in camel or ecru. Decisions, decisions!
For what it’s worth, I have both an LL bean boat tote & a Naghedi and use both constantly, both in mom mode and in daily work/errand mode. The boat tote is easier to use with total abandon (love the idea of a silk scarf!) and the Naghedi is a workhorse but slightly more polished looking. Fully endorse both!
I think nice purses can still be mom bags! I have a small YSL tote my friend traded me, it’s a medium taupe leather, and it fits so much. My secret to keep the kids from ruining it is I have multiple pouches for my stuff and *WET BAGS* for the kid stuff. As in the truly watertight ones you’d take kayaking, I bought a 3 pack on Amazon for 8 bucks. If you run out of room, carry the wet bags home, or buckle them to your purse strap. I’m rocking 1 diaper/1 pack of wipes/1 tiny pair of boxers and 2 applesauce pouches for the kids, but I can carry home way more. Sometimes I add a tennis ball or matchbox car. My makeup, sunglasses and wallet are in the leather pouch that came with the purse. Phone is loose. Keys snap right to the side. I feel like Mary Poppins constantly. And since it’s open topped I can stick in an umbrella or a baby bottle or tube of sunscreen without disrupting everything.