Bags this spring 2006 are busy, busy, busy, with lots of stitch detail. Busy, oversized bags are the 'it' bags of the season. Don't worry if you can't afford a top of the range designer bag, because the street has done it's best to accommodate everyone. Last season's craze for a bag such as the Fendi Spy, Chloé Paddington,or Marc Jacobs Stam, means that you will be able to find street bags that have similar elements.

In both designer and street shops look out for larger handbags than you have ever had before. Examine bags with extra buckle down straps, edges wrapped with leather thonging, plaited areas and plait handles. Other textural techniques include studs, padlocks, frills, gathers and tassels. Most of all, check out the metallic finishes on bags, including inexpensive fast fashion bags.

Bags for spring have plenty of interesting accessories, for example, pockets, tassels, dangling charms, leather appliqué, free form logo attachments, key rings, and metal ornament as buckles. Then there are great finishing touches in the form of gold and steel tone studs, crystal beads and leather bows.

Printed bags are very much in vogue, as is the new deeper taller bag shape and deep tote styles. Ogle the variety of decorative trimming on bags from sailor rope, bamboo, beading, gold studs or silver studs. Frequently, headscarves or gold chain are slotted through its eyelets. Handles may incorporate chain in twists with leather or be simply made of chain. Many handles are made of plaited leather pieces and of course, seek out woven leather bags as shown below and in imitation of those made popular by Bottega Veneta.

Bags are so very busy that they are textured and embellished, even when inexpensive. Raffia is over embroidered, studs and stones like turquoise are embedded in the extremities or even the main body of bag materials. Leather and suede is frequently presented as washed and distressed, tie dyed, tool impressed, cut-out, frilled, made into rose trims and generally made of huge proportions.

This spring the seasonal fashion trend is for the slouchy bag. In 2006 it has fully integrated itself with the masses as a major fashion. This fashion owes much to the Gucci Hobos, the Fendi Spy bag, and the Chloé Paddington. Oversized large squashy outsized slouchy hobo bags complete the fashion look of spring 2006. 

The contrast to all this is the sleek clutch bag. Watch out for the reaction to this oversizing of bags and observe the already developing trend for undersized small bags and tiny bags worn like jewelry. 

Consider investing now in a bag with a chain handle as this look is destined to be a strong one next autumn. 

Hardware and ironmongery on bags are reaching a new peak and many bags have studs in rows, or bands of extra metal trimmed leather over the body of a bag. White bags are set to be popular, but please make sure it's not a cheap looking bag as white bags can look tacky quickly. They also mark very easily whatever they cost, so avoid using pens near them. 

This is also the year of the metallic bag that shimmers and glistens with silver gunmetal, gold, copper or bronze tones. 

Right now large bags drip with detail such as the Burberry chain insertions. One of the latest trends in accessories is of texture on bags. The texture first included use of furs and tweeds but now also includes knitting, macramé, Suffolk patchwork puffs, lace or crochet, leather gold studded surfaces, woven and plaited leather insertions or tweed bodies. This raffia crochet bag is a nice high street example of a useful all purpose large summer bag.  

Other bag looks include western saddle bags.

For some time, I've noticed that bags are showing a trend to change shape growing taller, sleeker, cleaner and more structured and this is without the lumpy untidiness of excessive bulky outside pockets on every available surface. Many have interesting trims such as studs, piping lines and tassels, but retaining a less fussy more streamlined look. The lines of some of the hobo bags are gradually being morphed into newer taller more pyramid handbag styles, which follow the lines of fuller skirts.

Notice the shape relationship between all these styles. See too how these bags all follow similar lines to the Novak bag seen in the centre of the bottom row. Many underarm handles are also being shortened, as a result, the handles can only be used in the hand this gives a totally different, less cluttered, cleaner overall look to the silhouette. Imagine the silhouette with the short handled bag compared to the untidy line the body gets with an underarm or shoulder bag. The neater looking, better proportioned bag will become a crucial part of getting the fifties and sixties looks well tuned.

Status driven habits mean that women pursue the designer handbag dream. One reason they like the designer handbag is that the rest of the body may be dressed down. A woman can wear jeans to feel relaxed, but they still want an item of cachet to tell the world they are making it. The item of cachet is the European designer handbag.