Big, floppy purses with few zippers and maybe a nook for a cell phone are what you’ll see around town right now, says Jackie Sithideth at Estilo on Second Street. “Big, slouchy, unstructured”—this is how she describes this year’s most popular totes.

These bags are perfect for the mom with diapers in tow. They’re for the “hip, fashionable,” yet utilitarian woman, according to Elizabeth Serrato, owner of Eliza Page across the street.

Take a look at Tano bags at Francesca’s Collections in the Arboretum. Ranging from $100 to $200, they are great larger-than-life bags. “They’re real funky and different,” says manager Meredith Massie, who confesses she carries one. “I like big.” Massie says the boutique only carries two to three at a time, and they sell quickly.

These floppy bags also offer comfort. Serrato notes that a lot of bags have fabric straps. “I just love fabrics. I have fabric on one wall at home,” says Austin designer Kara Whitten, owner of handbag and accessory company Kailo Chic. The local designers like Whitten carry that comfortable, utilitarian look through, but keep the styles edgy at the same time.

Whitten makes handbags in the $30 to $70 range. She favors passion-fruit florals and her pieces are sold in several boutiques in town, including Parts and Labour on South Congress. Parts and Labour sells other local artisans’ work, including The Crafty Monkey and AnneMarie Purses.

The availability of fabric determines what designer Chia Guillory will sew, she says. Her focus is the practical, and she’s perfect for the picky bag lady. She’ll make you a bag from your own choice of fabric at no extra cost.

Vintage cloth is popular. Parts and Labour and Pink Hair Salon and Gallery, both in SoCo, sell designer Guillory’s pieces under the name Chia; she uses vintage fabrics, as well as silks, in her bags. Those bags range from $50 to $70.

Serrato is quick to show off the work of a designer who relies in part on vintage fabrics, including upholstery from cars. “You think about all the crazy car fabrics from the ’70s,” she notes. The designer, Kim White out of Los Angeles, emphasizes comfort, with fabric straps and fashionable, yet functional, looks. Prices run from $188 to $313.

Serrato sees a lot of metal hardware in fashion right now, with grommets and links. “We’re seeing ’80s retro coming back,” she says. The basic black bag isn’t in right now. Instead, you can see white year-round and lighter, brighter colors in general.

Bags for eveningwear are very popular, according to Jane McCan, owner of Shiki on Second Street and also to the north on Guadalupe.

“I would go smaller but structured” in the evening, says McCan. Colors can be muted metallics, bone, cognac and chocolate. For example, McCan shows a muted, pearl metallic bag by E.D.E. Studio for $350. It has a chain strap and stud accents.

At Estilo, you will see a mustard-colored, beaded evening bag with gold metallic accents for $225 by Santi. Co-owner Cami Cobb also shows off great evening bags by Sobella, the San-Francisco-based label owned by handbag and jewelry designer Brooke Sobel. Retailing for $230 to $248, some bags even come with detachable chain straps that can also serve as necklaces.

Vegans can look for animal-friendly style at Creatures on South Congress. One bag, made by Holly Aiken, has a rose-orange accent strip running down a trapezoid of olive green. It goes for $62. Queen Bee, which carries handmade, hand-sewn pieces, is also critter-friendly.

If your tastes turn toward country music and leather, check out Allen’s Boots up the street. For $199 to $400, you will find Double J Saddlery bags from Yoakum, Texas. These handmade bags feature sparkles, turquoise, buckles and pink or blue rhinestones.

Looking for a truly distinctive look? Vivid on South Congress has one metallic yellow and one pink bag for $150 each. You’ll have to look hard to find these bags elsewhere—they’re no longer made. Next door at Blackmail, Summer Lawson can show you screen-printed bags created by a designer and a tattoo artist for $160 to $225, also no longer made.

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<>If you want goat-white pony hair with random black stripes on your bag, Francesca’s has one for $98. There is also the fuchsia bag with pony hair for $198 by Hype.

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 At Uncommon Objects, in SoCo, you’ll find a little black purse with Bakelite handles from the 1920s for $36. Bakelite is an early plastic created in the 1920s. It was used in dominoes and radio cabinets, as well as jewelry, says Uncommon Objects owner Steve Wiman. “It’s very collectible, really hot,” he says. “Anytime we get a good piece, it really sells.”

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Among the vintage treasures at Uncommon Objects are an evening purse of embossed gold for $95 and floral carpetbags for $18 to $24. “Think Mary Poppins,” says Wiman about the carpetbags. There’s a long history behind these bags, he says, but the ones his store carries probably date to the 1950s or 1960s. If you want to date a piece, Wiman says, look at the workmanship. The older pieces have finer detail.

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Uncommon Objects has had objects that date back to the 18th century, and carries roughly one million pieces. Wiman’s clientele is mixed, but therein lies the truth about great fashion: “You might see a rockabilly tattooed chick who goes ape over something, and then 10 minutes later, somebody’s grandmother likes it.”