Our EIC on Her Go-To Spring Handbag (and Paris's Best Croissants)

Catching up with our editor in chief can be a tricky task. Kat Collings and I technically work out of the same office in West Hollywood, but she’s rarely in her seat, as she’s visiting our offices in London, scoping out new designers in NYC, and scooting off to appointments here in L.A.—when she’s not scoping out really, really good vintage finds in her free time.

So when I Slack her to ask some top-of-mind questions about the must-know spring handbag trends, I’m not surprised to hear that I’ve caught her in between runway shows and press appointments and croissant sampling at Paris Fashion Week. (On the Very Important topic of croissants, she says it’s a tie between Du Pain et Des Idées and La Maison D’Isabelle, ICYWW like I was.)

Still, she was kind enough to answer my questions, walk me through one of her favorite spring looks, and give me a peek inside her go-to spring handbag—the perfectly Parisian, perfectly iconic Guirlande de Cartier. Keep reading to see what she’s got stashed inside, and get her take on other must-know accessory trends for the coming season.

Before we get into the look and the standout bag, I tell her I want to know about the more out-there trends she sees herself testing out in the coming months (possibly selfishly fishing for advice on how to wear some of the crazier accessories I’ve been spotting in street style galleries this fashion month). “I’m hoping I’ll finally get my act together to attempt gloves,” she tells me. “For spring, it will have to be a lightweight mesh version.”

Kat calls this look her go-to for pretty much every occasion (on the West Coast, anyway). “The style rules are a bit more relaxed here,” she says of her fun square-neck velvet bodysuit, perfect vintage jeans, and Cartier red crossbody. “I could picture it for running errands, grabbing lunch with friends, or a casual Friday at work.” Speaking of her native state, she also says she’s looking forward to leaning into the season’s whole California-cool look (“crochet, a bit of tie-dye, surf inspiration”).

On the topic of handbags, Kat tells me she owns at least 30—but admits that only five make her regular rotation. "This one carries your entire outfit, so you can get away with wearing more classic pieces,” she advises, adding that she loves its combination of form and function (two things she always looks for in a bag).

"Top-handle structured bags are definitely in the spotlight right now, and I’ve always been a fan of a smaller bag,” she tells me as I make a mental note to pull the trigger on the identical black mini I’ve got sitting in my cart. "I like that it has a bit of a stretched octagon shape, making it stand out from the pack of mini bags.”

SHOP KAT'S HERO BAG

When I ask for a peek inside her Guirlande de Cartier, I’m not surprised to find she’s a far more organized person than I am. “Lipstick, ChapStick, credit card holder (no bulky wallets allowed), keys, and cellphone,” she says. “That’s it!” At this, I also make a mental note to purge my own everyday bag of its unfortunate collection of loose change, old Metro cards, mismatched gold hoops, and five red lipsticks that are basically the same color.

As for advice on where to begin when it comes to putting together a winning spring look? “Since it’s a transitional season, light layering is key. This blazer is easy to throw on in case I go straight from work to after hours events,” she shares (and I can say from observing her jam-packed schedule that this is highly likely).

OTHER COLORWAYS WE LOVE:

Haven’t found your dream spring bag yet? Go browse the entire Guirlande de Cartier collection. (Also, please feel free to DM me croissant recommendations on Instagram.)