Make your life Colorful with RieFashion

Come Spring 2012, it is time for the once-preppy and recently toughened Burberry girl to put away her metal-armored and severely spiked bags and embrace a folkloric fairy tale. For his latest collection, Christopher Bailey has sent his Londoner on a worldly adventure into the exotic east, where she developed an appreciation for deep, vivid colors (ones unusual for spring) and artisans’ craftsmanship. From morphed tartan plaid to the hand-crafted weaves, I loved these clutches and totes for their sense of human touch. Heavy on quirky texture and offbeat colors, oversized beaded clutches pack a mean punch. Wild weaves have been partially dipped in panels of python. Organic raffia and teal python have been blended for city-meets-country edge and lightly printed plaid fabric fades beneath elaborately whipstiched and buckled leather.

It is all a much welcomed and creative change from the safety pins and heavy metal studs we had become accustomed to. It looks like becoming a well-traveled woman of the world suits the Burberry Brit quite nicely.

For Spring 2012, Burberry bags went the way of tribal-meets-DIY. Not to say that the bags looked any less luxurious than usual, but on the contrary. Using materials like raffia and techniques like crocheting, beading, weaving, and braiding, Burberry’s Spring 2012 handbags did look handcrafted, but in the most high-end way and using only the finest materials. Top handle totes were done in an array of materials – crocheted knit, tri-tone colorblocked raffia, and bright suede with leather trim. There was even one Burberry ‘check’ bag thrown in for good measure. Clutches were given the tribal touch with woven, multicolored strips of raffia and complementary ombré leather belted straps. The entire collection consisted primarily of earthy tones like mustard yellow, rust orange, and green with cooler blues and reds as well.

Burberry Prorsum Spring 2012 handbags on the runway at London Fashion Week