Elevate your swimsuit this summer with holiday-ready handbags from Celine, Chanel, Hermès and more

Left, Bag, £2,150; bikini top, £215, both by Celine by Hedi Slimane. Right, bag, £1,110; bustier, £70; briefs, £230; sunglasses, £140, all by Max Mara. Fashion: Jason Hughes

If this summer looks to be one of unrestrained escapism – the lifting of restrictions all but guaranteeing a mass exodus to the beach – so too comes the necessity of a packing list to match, balancing a desire for relaxation and ease with the frivolity and excess that comes from finding yourself far from the daily routines of home. These conundrums find a solution in an array of this season’s holiday-ready bags, large and small, each providing a luxurious take on the humble beach bag that will elevate even the simplest of swimsuits. 

At Chanel, a high-glamour S/S 2022 collection recalled the era of 1990s swimwear-clad supers, accessorised with the ‘22’ tote, an oversized riff on the house’s signature quilted handbags – room enough for the usual overpacked jumble of beach-day accoutrements – complete with requisite chain handle and golden ‘Chanel’-branded medallion. Equally expansive is Celine’s ‘Cabas Cuir Triomphe’ in supple tan calfskin, closing with an easy drawstring fastening; pack wisely, and you’ll have space inside for a whole weekend’s worth of outfits. Max Mara’s slouchy wear-anywhere ‘Jean’ handbag, meanwhile, arrived as part of a S/S 2022 collection inspired by Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, the 1954 existentialist novel which captures a teenager’s languorous summer days spent in the south of France. 

Elsewhere, a summertime spectrum of colour and texture set a carefree mood: Dior’s ‘Lady Dior’ handbag came this time in a miniature iteration, crafted from wicker – recalling picnic baskets and summer hats – while woven raffia made up bags from Prada and Paula’s Ibiza, Loewe’s seasonal offshoot inspired by the Balearic isle’s seminal 1970s boutique.

‘Sexy and liberated,’ said Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson of the wider collection, reflecting this season’s escapist spirit. ‘A carefree attitude that is quintessentially Ibiza.’ §

Blue bag, £1,950; raffia bag, £1,400; bustier, £720; hat, £590, all by Prada. Briefs, £230, by Max Mara

Bag (left), £3,600; bag (right), £2,600; shirt, £1,600; skirt, £1,100, all by Dior. Earrings, £215, by Completedworks

Bag, £5,020; swimsuit, £425, both by Hermès 

Bag, £2,350; bra, £370, both by Fendi. Briefs, £22, by Skims

A version of this article appears in the July 2022 issue of Wallpaper*. Subscribe today!

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