Before you pack up your wicker basket bags and see-through totes and reach for your go-to black bucket bag, you may want to consider the latest cult accessory: beaded bags.
According to Pinterest, saves for bead-embellished bags have increased 62 percent over the past five months and show no sign of slowing down come fall.
As with most of thetrends we’ve seen lately, this one is cyclical. Beautifully-crafted beaded bags first became popular during the Roaring Twenties, when women wore them with ritzy evening attire, and resurfaced in the ‘50s, taking the shape of a small rectangular clutch.
Iterations of these intricate bags were carried throughout the decades to follow, and later became the stalwart accessory of ‘90s (perhaps thanks to Carrie Bradshaw and crew).
As reported by Who What Wear, the recent return of the beaded bag can be credited to British brand Shrimps, known for their pearl-adorned Antonia Bag that hangs from the arms of everyone’s favorite street style stars. Not to mention Susan Alexandra’s hand-crafted collection of cheerful beaded bags that have taken over Instagram. Obviously, it didn’t take long for fast fashion to follow. Now, you’ll find everything from crossbody bags and clutches to fanny packs decked out with delightfully colored beads.
Consider this your cue that it’s time to swap out your boring black leather tote for this playful, Pin-worthy trend. Shop our favorite beaded bags below.
Pools That Look Even Better in a Heat Wave
Mid-August is the special time of the summer when you’re finally like, “OK, sun, we get it. ” It’s great when we’re on vacation with long lazy days to waste away, but when it comes to the daily grind of city life in the summer, we just can’t deal with the endless heat. Sticky streets, sauna-like subways, and sweaty passersby combine to make these still long but not at all relaxing days that much more dismal.
To combat late-summer heat wave blues, we’ve gotten addicted to imagery that paints a much better (but still blue! ) picture: pool photography. Sure, it’s nothing like physically diving into a refreshing body of cool water, but we believe looking at these pics does take you there, in a way. Call it visual ASMR, but just flagging these images in our “saved” tab on Instagram or setting them as a screen saver gives the sensation that it isn’t actually 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity all around us.
The result is a happier attitude because you realize, Hey, heat isn’t so bad! If you are one of the fortunate few who does have a pool to retreat to each weekend (or all the time if you really want to make us jealous), consider these shots inspiration for your own pool ‘gram; whether the locations make them iconic or their subject is still so relevant. . Because if it’s good enough, you know we’ll be over here adding it to our “saved” tab for the rest of summer.
Swimming Pool, location unknown
Exposition, Heavy Water, James Turrell, 1992, Le Confort Moderne.
American pianist and entertainer Liberace poses on the deck of his piano-shaped swimming pool, Los Angeles, California, 1954.
The indoor/outdoor swimming pool at the Raymond Loewy House by Albert Frey, 1946, Palm Springs, California
Cronulla Beach, New South Wales, Australia
