Some handbags refuse to disappear into the background.
Whether dotted with crystals or embellished with embroidery, fashioned from felted wool or finished with tassels, these are bags that are anything but boring, bags that get noticed by strangers for their interesting shape and innovative detail.
Some people call them "man magnets," said William Vablais, whose wife, Sheila Holley, designs distinctive wooden box-shaped handbags for their Springfield-Ill.-based company, Once in A Blue Moon. The box bags have captured the hearts of such celebrities as Sarah Jessica Parker. "They make people start talking to each other," he said.
Evening bags have always been a little funky, a bit sparkly, said Mary DeMarco-Wolfe, co-owner of La Terra, a Baltimore gift shop that sells a variety of unusual, fun handbags. But for every day, she said, "I don't want to carry some boring, old black handbag."
These handbags aren't just for dinners out or strolls on the red carpet. Paired with last year's black pantsuit or this year's jeans and a T-shirt, they're for grocery runs and business meetings, soccer games and Starbucks, dry cleaning drop-offs and shopping excursions. They are, in other words, for everything.
BALANCE IN THE BAG
Baltimore artist Barbara Giles' vinyl-covered handbags are crafted from collages of Chinese prayer papers, computer-printed fabric and antique kimonos for a harmoniously funky take on Feng Shui. Bags cost $112 to $342 at Ellie's Smellies in Reisterstown, Foxglove Design in Canton, Craft Concepts in Lutherville, the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore.
STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT
Inspired by the vintage handbags of Enid Collins, this Once in a Blue Moon bag made from strong but light alderwood features glittering crystal starflowers of green and pink and a leather handle. The whimsy it conveys turns heads. $175 at www.boxbags.com
STRAP YOURSELF IN
Play it safe and still maintain your cool -- and your stuff -- with this Ferrari Red backpack woven from silky, sexy... seatbelts? Yes, seatbelts. Harveys Detroit bag $95, at La Terra, 4001 Falls Road, Baltimore, or at www.seatbeltbags.com
SO MODERN, YET STONE AGE
Sometimes a couple of whimsical stripes and a pair of handles that look like Wilma Flintstone's jewelry are all it takes to lighten up a handbag. Chartreuse felted wool handbag by Rising Tide. $34.99. Oh! Said Rose, 840 W. 36th St., Hampden.
'KISS' AND CARRY
Carry a work of art on your shoulder with Icon's hobo bag showing a reproduction of Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. And when not toting the bag around, why not hang it on the wall? $375 at Neiman Marcus online, www.neimanmarcus.com
ONE SMOKIN' TOTE
Recapture how it felt to stash your stuff in an old, scent-filled cigar box with this tobacco tote by local artist Kelly Long. Crafted from a wooden cigar box, lined in felt and finished with a dainty beaded handle, mirror and silky tassel, the bag has trim, retro appeal and encourages paring down purse contents to the essentials. $90 at La Terra, 4001 Falls Road, Baltimore.
CONDENSED GOODNESS
We all know that soup is good food. It also makes for a fun handbag. Icon's "MMM Good" flap bag features Pop Art images of soup cans and a ladylike chain strap. $295 at Neiman Marcus online, www.neimanmarcus.com
AND IT WON'T CHANGE BACK INTO ANYTHING
Maybe he's a prince. Maybe she's a wicked stepsister. It doesn't matter as long as you grab hold of Lulu Guinness' Cinderella tote handbag and promise never to let go -- not even when the clock strikes midnight. $250 at www.nordstrom.com
AUTHENTICALLY LIVELY
We don't think it's leather. Heck, it may not even be real vinyl. Who cares? This whipstitched black purse covered in colorful embroidered flowers mixes bohemian and Western styles with lively results. Think Heidi meets Dale Evans. $40 at La Terra, 4001 Falls Road, Baltimore.
ALL GROWN UP
Just because your handbag makes a statement doesn't mean it has to be juvenile. Pierre Santi's beige silk baguette studded with clear beads and embellished with harvest colored silk blooms has a sophisticated, seasonal air. $200 at La Terra, 4001 Falls Road, Baltimore.