Leather Handbags in Bright Colors

Leighton Meester of Gossip Girl was seen recently with a royal purple handbag. Although the bag’s design is somewhat of a diversion from typical celebrity hobo bags, the messenger bag-like style doesn’t add any negative qualities. What’s most notable about her handbag is the color. While black and brown, with white coming in second, have dominated the leather purse designs for years, brighter colors – or more specifically, more color variations – are now in style. Whether the leather is in jewel or bold tones or a bright turquoise color, having a leather handbag that stands out with your outfit is important.

While Meester’s royal purple bag certainly stands out against her black and grey casual outfit (with the exception of those heels), nearly any other color could have the same effect. In terms of specific western style, western jewel tones are often used for these bright, solid-color leather handbags, with turquoise and coral red or orange spotted the most. Western style aside, popular options include jewel tones – with a brighter finish like patent leather – or bright and bold colors like hot pink and neon green. But, no matter what color you choose, the bag itself needs to be solid colored, or at least solid colored and textured. Too much activity on the handbag becomes distracting.

But what about the ordinary brown and black leather handbags? These, too, are receiving a somewhat “bold” treatment, as seen in previous posts on this blog. Some options designers have chosen include adding silver studs to a black bag or, adding black studs to black leather in some cases. For more specific western style, a black suede or leather handbag might even have fringe around the edges. Unless you’re carrying around a large hobo handbag, solid black or brown is considered too plain in the present for high-end fashion.