Totes practical: Giant bags and tiny heels are this summer’s must-buys

After 3½ weeks, four cities, two continents and hundreds of shows, presentations and events, another fashion month has drawn to a close.

Rapper Cardi B toting a large bag at Paris Fashion Week.Credit:GC Images

There were plenty of "moments": singer-actress J-Lo shutting down Milan in a 2019 iteration of her 2000 Grammys dress by Versace; musicians Lou Doillon and A$AP Rocky bopping in the front row at a controversy-filled Gucci show; and, in the death throes of Paris Fashion Week, a “catwalk crasher” at Chanel. But what of the clothes for spring-summer 2020?

In short, the '70s as a reference are not going away (nor for that matter are the '90s, with Givenchy presenting a mash-up of both decades), the Bermuda-short (power) suit is coming for us in a big way, and colour is king (unless you're Valentino, which presented an uncharacteristically neutral opening segment of all-white looks).

In Australia, many of these trends won't hit stores until August 2020 but some of them are already trickling in. Best of all, they are both practical and you don't have to undress to try them on. We are talking of course about accessories, specifically giant bags and tiny heels.

If last season was defined by the teensy-weensy bags by Jacquemus that fit in the palm of your hand (but barely more than a key inside), the runways of New York, Milan and Paris firmly proved the pendulum has swung back to practicality.

Giant, vegan leather bags featured at Nanushka.Credit:Audrey Krawczyk

Starting in New York, wool-wizard Gabriella Hearst presented totes overlaid with striped wool that resembled a tea cosy for your laptop, while in London, Burberry proved "logomania" still has a ways to run with rigid hold-alls. Over to Milan, where Marni went to the beach with bucket bags and basket totes in red, and a newfound confidence at Bottega Veneta resulted in mammoth cross-body sacks in the brand's signature interwoven leather the colour of churned butter.

In Paris, Nanushka, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney showed you can be extra (large) and green. And despite his absence due to illness, style prankster Virgil Abloh presented the season's most talked-about bag at his Off White show, a $2500 largely impractical hole-punched tote that looked like the iconic "Swiss cheese" gowns by Danish duo Viktor & Rolf.

Gimmicks aside, the shift to larger bags is good news for anyone who has been struggling to squeeze their swag into a bag smaller than a Bible for several seasons. Ditto the explosion of sensible heels, the most famous of which has been the Bottega Veneta "dental floss" sandal.

Anthony Bianco, director of Tony Bianco shoes, says the emergence of '90s-inspired square-toed strappy sandals is the most major shift in summer footwear trends in "a long time, maybe 10 years".

"A lot of women who haven't been able to wear high heels are [buying these]," he says, adding that colours including spearmint, blue and brick have been early favourites but white is leading the pack heading into spring racing season. From December, he predicts animal skins and blacks will dominate, in line with the new fashion trends.

Leaders of the pack … models at Bottega Veneta.Credit:Getty Images

Mercifully for shoe retailers, the trend marks the return to wearing actual shoes, as opposed to sneakers and rubber thongs.

"We've become sick of sneakers [dominating] for the past few years," he said. "It's still there but it's probably reduced to where it was. It has hurt the fashion shoe business over the past few years."

Bianco said he first spotted the "stringy" sandal, as he puts it, about 10 months ago and knew it would take off in a big way. He had hoped his company's early versions would have been out ahead of the Bottega craze but he said it was important with such fine shoes to get the fit absolutely right.

"Women haven't worn this sort of stuff for about [10 to] 15 years … when you're fitting these shoes it's such a variable fit. It's not going to fit everybody but when something's on [trend], it's on and women will wear it no matter what."

Bianco says the new shoe silhouette has more stability at the base of the heel than the traditional kitten style, meaning better endurance at the racetrack or a wedding. But, warns Anna Baird, a qualified podiatrist and founder of shoe brand Bared, just because a heel is lower doesn't mean it's automatically good for you.

"The only thing worse for your for foot than a thong is a heeled one," she says. "Any type of slide that doesn’t hold onto your foot in someway requires you to claw your toes to keep it on. Adding a heel in the mix just makes the shoes harder to keep on your foot and your body a whole lot less stable."

For staying power, Baird advises a shoe with an ankle strap or back support, "options that actually fasten onto your foot in some way".

"Make sure that nothing feels tight on your feet to begin with. Something that feels slightly too roomy across the toes but fastens onto your foot in some way is a much safer way to go. Your feet will swell during the day and a tight-fitting shoe in the morning will mean a very painful one by the afternoon."

And no one likes the look of a woman walking barefoot through the streets – even if she has a trendy giant bag in which to stow her heels.

Get the look

Mimco, $499Credit:mimco.com.au

Bared, $259Credit:bared.com.au

Ted Baker, $519Credit:tedbaker.com

Tony Bianco, $200Credit:tonybianco.com

Sol Sana, $180Credit:sol-sana.com

Mara & Mine, $425Credit:maraandmine.com

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