How to Pick the Perfect Summer Purse

SUMMERTIME, and the livin’ is easy. Supposedly. Ah, well, at the very least, it ought entitle you to give a rest to that enormous black thing you normally lug around. Yet picking a purse for summer can be tricky. You want it to reflect the  relaxed style attitude of the season while still serving as a convenient receptacle for essentials. Read on, then, to find the perfect purse to carry you through Labor Day.

Betcha can't pick just one!

Oh, but did I say the purse? As if one could possibly suit all you’re getting up to these long days and lush nights. Odds are, you’ll rely on three:

• A chic, cosmopolitan and well-constructed  pocketbook. Summer notwithstanding, you have work to do, appointments to keep, errands to run and impressions to make. 
• A miniscule evening bag—an envelope clutch, perhaps. You’re off the clock and will let nothing defy your carefree flow save your keys, mad money and lipstick. That’s right, dear—do leave the gadget behind so you can concentrate on the moment—the company you keep, as well as the music, laughter and scent of jasmine in the air.
• A quirky, swingy thing that’s all about fun to dangle from your arm while you stroll the boardwalk eating ice cream. Let your imagination guide you and think outside the bag. One summer, I relied on a straw sewing basket festooned with artificial cherries. Another, I made a bag from the derriere of a pair of faded blue jeans.
  
  

Lucky you, your eye for quality vintage will guide you to one-of-a-kind finds you can afford. So now, having categorized your purses’ purposes, consider the following factors:

• Color. Choose either light or bright. Yes, even in New York City. A black bag undermines a sundress and sandals, is overly formal with shorts or Capris and adds a needless hard edge to summer business attire. If you don’t care for white, choose cream, a pretty pastel or your favorite hot hue. 

• 

  Bright hot and just your size

  
  

  
  

• Size. Since your summer style statement is about lightening up, do strive to downsize to a smaller bag (except, of course, for your beach tote, which should be large enough for your towel and page-turner).
• Material. Suede says autumn to me, but leather (and its reasonable facsimile) feels seasonless and is a sturdy, dependable choice for day. Yet summer is historically the time for wicker, straw, canvas and other casual, flexible fabrics—experiment!
• Embellishment. I refuse to part with any of my precious Enid Collins purses, created by the Texas designer who favored adornment to the  extreme. 
  

  

  Mine! Mine! All mine!!!

  EC's sense of giggly gaudiness created the handbag equivalent of an amusement park but, granted, it's not for everyone. So why not use her as inspiration and indulge in the fanciful your way. Consider a purse strewn minimally or maximally with stones,  spangles, sequins, beads, pearls, et cetera — particularly for evening, when sparkle is de rigueur. Or try this:
  
  Tie a brightly colored scarf round the handle of a simple bag for instant charm. 

Have you got a handbag tip to share? Please do! And watch this space for upcoming missives on "How We Lost Our Vintage Virginity," "Seduction in Summer: Why It's Hot to Be Cool," "My Most Precious Piece" and "How To Find Your Thrifting Partner."