Add one (or all) of these quirky fashion bags to your closet.

Whether you call them bags, purses, handbags, or what have you, some of us just aren’t into the whole “designer” fashion bag thing. It isn’t that we don’t like making a statement with our choice of bag, but we don’t want that statement to be how much money we spent (or wasted, depending on your point of view). Instead, we prefer to show off our quirky, one-of-a-kind style with offbeat fashion bags. Just think of us as the quirky Andie Walsh from “Pretty in Pink” and if you don’t know who that is–go watch the movie immediately!

Whether you are into vintage leather, prefer cruelty-free, desire making an artistic statement, or just love interesting forms and functions, there’s a bag for you on on this list of quirky fashion bags.

Offbeat & Quirky Fashion Bags

1. Wooden Fashion Bag – Made to order handmade wooden bag in oak, mahogany, leather,  and cork. This pretty and functional design is inspired by furniture design.

2. Leopard Oversized Handbag – Oversized bag with a different take on an iconic print, but with a quirky, modern twist. From Little Moose.

3. Bold Leather Tote – Get bold with this one-off patchwork black and Champagne gold leather tote from Flowie.

4. Chevron Olivia Bag – One-of-a-kind chevron striped fabric bag for those who want to forego leather. It’s handmade in Italy.

5. Nikki McCLure Mushroom Tote – Wear a bit of art on your arm with this unique mushroom art bag from artist Nikki McClure. It’s printed on 100% recycled fabric.

6. Initial Clutch – Go big on style or just don’t play with this navy and bright yellow patent leather clutch. Handmade in the UK by French & English Confectioners.

7. Nutkin Squirrel Handbag – This fabric shoulder bag is totally adorkable. From Little Odd Forest.

8. Cat Bag – Show off your inner crazy cat lady with this felted handbag.

9. Round Shoulder Bag – If you are into interesting forms, try this cocoon or pod-like leather cross body bag in nude leather. You will not run into anyone else who has this bag!

10. Fold Over Clutch – We really love this wool and leather oversized foldover clutch bag from Vital Temptation in Brooklyn.

11. Vinyl Clutch – Choose your color and choose your style with these vinyl clutches from MeDusaBrandfrom Tel Aviv.

Related on EcoSalon

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DIY: 10 Things To Make From Plastic Bags

Image: Young Woman With Bag via Shutterstock

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Ten stylish handbags that you can easily make at home.

A girl can never have too many handbags, right? A bag habit can easily become expensive, but not if you learn how to make, or remake, them yourself. Here are ten of our favorite DIY bag projects, some which can be done in as little as ten minutes.

1.Minimalist Tote Bag
A talented seamstress with a mission, Renske Solkesz decided to create her own wardrobe after finding herself frustrated with high fashion prices. She created this self-closing utilitarian DIY tote bag for Design*Sponge. It’s made from inexpensive materials, yet looks totally luxe. Visit Renske’s blog, The Dress I Made, for more of her creations.

image: Design*Sponge

2. Trompe L’oeil Tote Bags and Pouch
These kinds of Trompe L’oil bags, based on the design of famous it-bags, were all the rage last year. We still fancy them and thanks to Martha Stewart, who created this DIY clip art ready to be printed onto fabric transfers, it’s now easier than ever to turn a plain tote into a witty style statement.

image: Martha Stewart

3. Cotton + Leather Clutch Purse
We love the simple yet beautiful contrast between the patterned cotton fabric and the leather used in this simple tote by A Beautiful Mess. You can make one yourself, using scraps of your favorite fabric, with little more than solid lining cotton, a zipper, scissors, a sewing machine, and some good-old patience.

image: A Beautiful Mess

4. Neon Dot Tote Bag
Sometimes easy does it. As long as you have a plain old canvas tote at home, this neon dot tote bag by Say Yes to Hoboken can truly be made in ten minutes or less. All you need is fabric paint and a brush.

image: Say Yes to Hoboken

5. Seat Belt Purse
We’ve seen seat belt bags around for quite some time, and always been amazed at how polished they manage to look. We never thought of making one, until we came across this thorough DIY tutorial by Twofoos. It does require some skill, and possibly an industrial sewing machine, but the compliments you’ll get will make it all worthwhile. The seat belts can be from an old car, purchased from a local auto upholstery supply store, or found online (ten yards of it will make a bag about 8″x10″ with a 60″ strap).

image: Twofoos

6. Scalloped Tote Bag
Perfect for spring and summer, this scalloped tote bag by Frolic! is both sweet and unique. Click here for a PDF download of a free packet of instructions and pattern pieces to make the scalloped bag. All you need to buy is a yard of linen. The lovely illustrations featured on the pattern were done by watercolor artist Heather Smith Jones.

image: Frolic!

7. Mesh Beach Bag
Before you know it, it will be beach time once again. A mesh bag is not only cute, but will prevent some amount of sand from entering your home as well. This good looking beach bag by Between the Lines is made from, believe it or not, old window screen material. The same kind of screen used to keep out mosquitoes.

image: Between the Lines

8. Weekender Bag
Are you a serious DIYer who like to take a lot of weekend trips? If so, this project is definitely for you — a weekender bag made from cotton waxcloth and faux leather. This 30-step DIY tutorial by The Weekend Designer is thorough and easy to follow, and even includes patterns for you to use. Now all you have to figure out is where you are going to take it next weekend.

image: The Weekend Designer

9. Boxy Bag
Elegant, glamorous, boxy bags are definitely making a big comeback. Don’t spend your hard-earned money on a designer version, though, when you can make this faux croc carryall by P.S. I Made This from an old lunchbox. The gold accents make all the difference. We love the idea of using your favorite brooch to glam up a bag, any bag, really.

image: P.S. I Made This

10. Feed Sack Messenger Bag
Vintage feed sacks don’t sound like much fun, but it turns out they make for great bag-crafting material. Gather up a leather belt and some denim lining and follow this inspired tutorial by 645 Workshop by the Crafty CPA. If you don’t have any feed bags on hand, you can use any kind of material that looks like it’s aching to be turned into a messenger bag.

image: Crafty CPA

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As Benjamin Franklin said, “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.” While Franklin might not have foreseen the attachment future Americans would have to their accessories, the Peasants and Travelers’ cork Doctor’s Bag confirms wine is a gift that keeps on giving.

Peasants and Travelers, a two-year-old accessories label, released the cork version of their venerable Doctor’s Bag design for spring 2010. Owner and designer, Jee Kim, had discovered a swatch of the unexpected material during a trip to Asia. While it intrigued her, she wasn’t sure how she could use it. The sojourn was a break from her steady climb up the ranks of fashion with stops at Gucci, Neiman Marcus, and Banana Republic. But, once she was settled back in San Francisco and working on her new line of bags, she remembered it and decided it would be perfect for crafting a bag.

Made from remnants of wine bottle corks from Portugal that have been smashed down and laminated to retain surface flexibility, Kim says the resulting material, “is waterproof and apparently, floatable.” Although, she doesn’t advise you attempt setting your bag to sail to test it.

Cork has enjoyed a resurgence of late in home interiors and has long been accessible in the shoe industry as wedges, heels, and espadrilles, but what is so unexpected is the luxe and highly refined character it lends the bags.

A good thing gets around fast. It caught the eye of curators at New York’s MoMA who then featured a whole series of cork made accessories by Pelcor, a global cork fashion brand in Portugal, for their “Destination Portugal” exhibit which opened in May.

Our editor-in-chief, Sara Ost, was similarly entranced when she saw the Doctor’s Bag at SF’s Thread show a few weeks ago. Kim offers, “It has a fashion forward look, which you wouldn’t expect. People are so intrigued when they see it in person.” “Its appeal is unisex” says Kim, with men and women coveting its “classic style with a modern interpretation.”

The design is as efficient as it is eye-catching. It’s roomy and travels well, fitting into an overhead storage locker or under the plane seat. It’s part of Peasants and Travelers’ urbane villager line, which includes the paper tote bag, a larger weekender, and an oversized envelope that fits an iPad perfectly.

Nearly every inch of Peasants and Travelers’ bags are composed of reclaimed materials ranging from recycled cork to the repurposed cotton-dress shirt gingham lining “that, unlike nylon linings that rip and tear, gets softer with use”, enthuses Kim. The bags are BPA, phthalate and lead free but their most impressive green credential according to Kim is its longevity – “when you adore something, you won’t want to throw it away.”

Available at 10 locations, including Urban Outfitters.

The post Crush and Carry: Bags Made from Recycled Cork appeared first on EcoSalon.

You certainly can’t leave for work without downing a few cups of java, but why stop there? Wear your caffeine addiction with pride!

Wren, a hand-made South African label, makes very fashionable bags out of coffee burlap sacks.The bags are currently available on Wren’s Etsy site, but an online shop is coming soon.

“Burlap?” you say, “isn’t that for hippies?” Not anymore, thanks to these chic looking totes, laptop bags and duffels that will make you take your coffee obsession to a whole new level. Just make sure to team with a reusable mug and not one of those pesky, disposable things. You wouldn’t want to be labeled as an eco-uncaring fashionista, now would you?

The post Bringing Back Burlap: Chic Coffee Shoulder Bags appeared first on EcoSalon.

“What is that?” I asked my housemate.

He was doing his online banking, and next to his pad of scribbled finances was a small rectangular box of bright plastic, about the size of a credit card. He opened it up and slid out a few credit cards.

“Who needs a wallet?”

Who indeed. There’s the fact that most wallets and purses use leather, and our feelings are mixed on that issue. But how about functionality? How many modern money-holders are too big to fit in our pockets – or get too big, because the larger capacity they are, the more they accumulate stuff? Opening my wallet (yes, leather), I find stubs, used train tickets, receipts, brightly-colored paperclips and a gift-card with no credit left on it. Junk.

In contrast, the Jimi Wallet – “the wallet for people who hate wallets” – holds your credit cards, a driver’s license, a few reward cards and nothing else (although you can also buy a version with an external money-clip). If you always know where your keys are, hang the Jimi on your key-ring! It’s rainproof and sturdy, solid yet light, and it’s both recycled and recylable. As a further eco-incentive, the manufacturer invests 1% of profits in environmental causes.

A wallet that actually fits in your pocket. Now that’s progress.

Images: Branch

The post Jimi: The Wallet for Pocket-Sized Pockets appeared first on EcoSalon.

We’ve picked out some of the most entertaining and wacky in eco bags for your viewing pleasure. And who knows? Maybe you’re the kind of eco diva who can pull off using one of them!

Righteous Fur

Wait… fur is now sustainable? According to designer Cree McCree, it just depends upon whose fur you’re using. In this case, it’s that of the nutria, a large invasive rodent. Native to South America, nutria were introduced to the US in the 30s, but since then have become an invasive species, threatening wetlands. So, buy a rodent bag, save an ecosystem.

Fab Firehoses

These bags (above) aren’t actually all that unattractive, but the material is beyond industrial chic. Elvis & Kresse‘s new Firehose line uses recycled British firehoses, which have subdued flames for around 25-30 years before making it to the purse stage of life. The green aspect of the bags doesn’t stop there; the bag liners are made from old fabric or recycled furniture upholstery and the bag labels are printed on old luggage tags.

Living Plant Bags

Even the greenest thumbs may not be up for  the Woolly Vagabond living handbag, made from reclaimed leather and recycled plastic. The bag doubles as a potted plant, and while we do love most things multipurpose, it does raise the question: would bringing your potted plant along feel like a third wheel on a first date? Not sure it grows on you.

Repurposed License Plates

There’s a lot of good going on in the world of repurposing; what’s better than putting an item that would normally go to waste to good use? This little number – called MiniFlare Bag – is made from repurposed license plates, complete with a recycled rubber handle. But does the Swarovski crystal embellisment make this eco bling or an eco bust?

Haute Hair

For the ultimate in upcycling, turn to Australian artist Polly van der Glas, who made a full line of accessories from human hair and teeth. Careful though – with a purse like this you’ll be styling for two, better set the alarm clock a little earlier.

Killer Keyboards

For your inner eco-nerd there’s the Keyboard Purse, designed by João Sabino of Portugal. This would be my number one pick for the green bloggers out there; write intriguing eco posts by day, sport your trade by night!

It’s a Party!

Balloons aren’t the most eco-friendly (think turtles in the ocean who can’t distinguish between latex and real food), so what better use for them after they’ve turned a so-so birthday party into a killer one than a bag? Okay, maybe not. These balloon bags by designer Krizia Robustella were spotted in Madrid during Fall 2009 fashion week.

A Gorgeous Goal

You’ll be looking sporty and responsible with this reclaimed soccer ball tote. The perfect accessory for a conscious soccer mom? We’ve blogged this baby in the past, and we still aren’t convinced.

All Tied Up

No need for a business suit if you’ve got this clutch under your arm. Made of vintage men’s ties with an organic denim interior, this creative little clutch could be your key piece next time you need to show who’s boss. This one we might actually go for!

Which bag will you be sporting in 2010?

Photo Credits: Core 77, Green Muze, Littlearth, Polly van der Glas, Cree McCree, João Sabino, Fete LA, BTC Elements

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