A tale of two totes: These beach bags are seaside-to-city staples

Telegraph

18-07-2025

It's time to face facts: women wear 20 per cent of their wardrobes 80 per cent of the time. Investing in a holiday wardrobe that only gets worn for two weeks a year doesn't make financial sense, however long you keep your clothes.
Everything we buy needs to work extra hard for the money. Right now, beach bags are the 'It' items seguing from seaside to city. Thankfully, summer 2025's key styles are some of the chicest yet. Giant straw bags and striped market totes are cool statement makers. After all, if you buy a bag you love, why wouldn't you carry it everywhere?
Kay Barron, fashion director at Net-a-Porter, agrees: 'Straw bags are much more versatile than you think and shouldn't be exclusively brought out for holidays. They are excellent city weekend bags and add a chic French nonchalance to denim and white shirting.' In recent seasons designers have elevated humbly crafted baskets (which look like they were picked up from a harbour-side stall) with logos and subsequently stratospheric price tags. The Net-a-Porter's bestsellers edit includes the latest Loewe + Paula's Ibiza collection [the Ola bag is £1,650] and the Olivia large raffia shoulder bag by Khaite [£1,810].' Before you choke on your iced latte, be aware that the high street and independent designers all have options that won't make such a sizeable dent in your summer spending.
For those looking for something a little more dopamine-inducing than the rusticity of a raffia basket, the trend for bright striped totes – echoing the styles you might fill with heirloom tomatoes and a loaf of artisan sourdough from the farmers' market – is equally hot this summer.
In the UK, one of the first brands to focus on the stripy style was Ace & Prince. Co-founded by Chloe Forde in 2020, Ace & Prince's mission is longevity and its tote's super strong nylon and canvas fabrication ensures this. 'I love the idea of an accessory that lasts a really long time, no matter what phase of your life you're in,' explains Forde. With a parallel career as a stylist, Forde notes that while she doesn't often dress colourfully, utilising a 'pop of colour from an accessory is an easy way to style yourself'. This is particularly pertinent in the city, which sometimes calls for a more sober clothing palette.
Instagram creator Emma Paton is a fan of striped totes for country, coastal and city-wear: 'Stripes are timeless and never go out of style [but] they do seem to be this summer's print.' Her love of stripes sparked a collaboration with brand The Contents Bag on a range of totes, which can be styled away from the French Riviera climes that inspired the designs. Paton suggests wearing one of her striped totes with 'a white maxi skirt and cami top', and says not to be afraid of 'wearing stripes with stripes' – her favourite 'Balzac Paris Léonor blue stripe shirt' is a staple for this.
Whether you yearn for the hit of a striped shopping tote or the bucolic charm of a straw basket, both styles can instantly transport you back to holiday mode, even when you are battling a frenetic city commute. When fashion is the catalyst for such happy, nostalgic summer memories, surely you would want to keep them close at the most stressful times of your life? Doubling the wear of a formerly holiday-only item is undoubtedly the best way to do it.