Latest news with #HelenKaminski
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Forbes
This Summer Bag Is All I Need For The Beach, Pool Or Vacation
A great beach or vacation bag should check a lot of boxes. It needs to be durable, accommodate everything from towels to book, and in a perfect world be stylish, too. I've had plenty of summer bags, including rugged canvas styles and waterproof carryalls, but Hat Attack's Original Straw Traveler Bag is consistently the one I reach for every time I'm headed poolside or to the lake or ocean. Hat Attack's The Original Straw Traveler Bag is my summer go-to for the beach and pool because it's ... More functional and you can style it with everything from summer dresses to beach cover-ups. Molly Calhoun For Forbes Vetted Hat Attack may be best known for its versatile headwear, from raffia crochet cowboy hats to packable crusher styles. But its bag selection features wearable, versatile and affordable options. There are mini styles, crossbody bags, clutches and totes, often in natural, summer-appropriate, eco-friendly fabrics like jute and raffia. The brand's Original Straw Traveler Bag is a stylish complement to my swimsuits and coverups, and it's functional, too. Hat Attack New York Hat Attack The Original Straw Traveler Bag The coolest feature of the Hat Attack The Original Straw Traveler Bag is that it has a dedicated spot on the exterior for my sun hat. It securely holds my favorite Helen Kaminski hat so I don't have to carry it when not wearing it and it keeps my hat from getting squished inside the bag. It's important to note, though, that this bag only fits regular-sized sun hats or flexible styles that have brims that can be tucked easily under the straps. It will not fit a large-brimmed sun hat like something you'd use for full sun coverage while gardening. It's more suitable for smaller sun hat styles, fedoras and straw cowboy hats. I love that this summer bag has a dedicated section with straps for my sun hat, which means it ... More doesn't get crushed and I don't have to carry it or wear it at all times. Molly Calhoun For Forbes Vetted The bag's bendable raffia straw construction means it can flex to give space to bulky items. I've pushed it to the limits and have stuffed it with thick beach towels, pareos, books, magazines, sunscreens and my snacks. It has a rigid, lightweight insert at the base that gives it just enough structure so it doesn't stretch out at the bottom when filled and hang too low. While it's not waterproof, the raffia is naturally water-resistant, so it can withstand limited splashes, and you can easily shake the sand out of this bag after an afternoon at the beach. Hat Attack's Original Straw Traveler bag has room for snacks, sunscreen, towels and a great beach ... More read. Molly Calhoun For Forbes Vetted This lightweight summer bag weighs just two pounds and flattens completely, making it easy to pack at the base of my suitcase under my clothes. In the past two years, I've taken it to the Caribbean, South America and the Hamptons. I've toted it to the beach, on shopping trips and to lunches in town, and because of its neutral color, it goes with basically everything. (It also comes in navy stripe and toast stripe if you're looking for more visual detailing.)
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
What Is Raffia and Why Is It So Hot Right Now?
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here. You can learn more about that process here. Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Read the original article on Purewow. Dependable signs of summer: Poppy print fashion. Fresh haircuts. Dressing like you're going to Lisbon (when you're really bound for the Lower East Side). I'm feeling all these, along with noticing more social posts and style influencers—as well as retailers—buzzing about the raffia trend in fashion accessories. I did a deep dive into the background of and latest craze for this material, and now I'll never dismiss something as 'just a straw bag' again. Here's what you'll want to know and shop re: raffia now and forever. 16 Things PureWow's Fashion Editor Is Buying for Summer 2025 Raffia is the fiber harvested form the Raphia Farinifera palm (commonly known as Raffia Palm). These fronded wonders grow wild and are farmed all across Southeast Asia, South and Central America and in the coastal valleys of Madagascar. That last is where luxury hat maker Helen Kaminski grows its raffia. 'Raffia harvesting is considered a sustainable practice, which means that the plant is not harmed during the process and can continue to grow and produce,' according to the brand. 'Once harvested, the leaves are stripped, and their strands are dried in the sun. As they begin to dry out, the strands shrink in size and change from a green color to a beautiful and natural earthy sand color.' While in appearance, it can look like straw, it's very different. Straw is the dried product of rice, rye, corn, oats and barley plants, and is much less durable than raffia because it's stiff and can grow brittle over time. By contrast, raffia is more supple, so it can be woven more intricately than straw, and raffia contains a natural resin that keeps it from cracking over time. The raffia trend for summer 2025 is a throwback to Euro chic and beachy beauty of decades past—think of British-French tastemaker Jane Birkin with her straw tote in the '60s. On recent runways, Chloé and Jacquemus showed raffia handbags and Gucci and Michael Kors wove it into clothing. Megs Mahoney Dusil at Purse Blog traces the first groundswell of the recent raffia redux (!) to the now-iconic Prada raffia tote: 'Prada majorly influenced this trend a few seasons ago when they first highlighted the Prada raffia tote. Suddenly, this simplistic design became the bag that made raffia a fundamental material— the must-have for summer. It's not groundbreaking, but it was also monumental, if you know what I mean.' Additionally, woven raffia shoes are showing up from Bottega Veneta to Target. 'There are a lot of woven pieces. Everything from woven bags, slides, visors—you name it. They actually seem to be everywhere. I love that these woven pieces add texture, but they also add a real holiday vibe to your outfit. So think of some of your more classic pieces in a more woven style.' says Leonie Barlow, Auckland-based editor of The Style Insider. Personally, I think the sustainability of raffia harvest, as well as its performance as a material that will withstand years of use, as tying into a movement away from fast fashion and overconsumption and toward sustainable, quality purchases. Madewell A hallmark of modern raffia designs are mixed materials—here, the crocheted body of the shoe is paired with a leather strap. $148 at Madewell Reformation In natural raffia with an on-trend wavy leather edge, this 12 x 13 inch bag is big and strong enough to carry your laptop. $348 at Reformation Dolce Vita Paging '90s Carrie Bradshaw—this corded shoulder bag recalls the classic Fendi Baguette. And in white, it can be a bit dressier than natural-hued raffia bags tend to look. $128 at Dolce Vita J. Crew Full disclosure: These affordable babies have a polypropylene/polyurethane upper and aren't made of actual raffia. But with their natural look and durability, that's a totally cool substitution. (I'm a sucker for a sexy ankle strap with a chunky heel.) $148; $70 at Factory Helen Kaminski This soft shoulder bag has the ease of a crossbody but the security of a drawstring top to secure your valuables. It comes in black, grey and natural raffia. $265; $140 at Nordstrom Rack Aritzia I'll always go for a classic wide brim, but hand-made in a rich camel shade from Aritizia. Note: the style is also available in short-, medium- and adorable mini-brim raffia iterations. $88 at Aritzia Tuckernuck Leather lining and raffia uppers combine to make a summer shoe that's as easy to wear as a pair of flip-flops but will elevate everything from shorts to sundresses to be a whole look. And I love the barely-there heel. $185 at Tuckernuck Sézane This French brand is known for its big belts which cool girls snap up to update whole outfits, so it's no surprise that this striking belt with an eye-catching raffia-wrapped buckle is their summer 2025 offering. $95 at Sézane Tuckernuck and Studio McGee Just Teamed Up for the Seaside Fashion Collection of My Dreams
