Hybrid theory: Convertible backpacks a big fall-winter trend

MANILA, Philippines — From luxury to department store brands, backpacks that easily convert into cross body bags and vice versa are all the rage.

If there are two-in-one cosmetics, now, there are also bags that can provide two looks and multiple functionalities for the price of one, perfect for the urban warrior or the weekend wanderer that does not want to carry around a separate or a different bag to complement changes in outfits and lifestyle.

Model Vanessa Matsunaga

Stylish but not flashy

Designer bags might look luxurious because of their premium materials like fur and leather, but these cannot fully protect the contents inside. In fact, the bag themselves need protection more because their leather could get ruined by the elements and they also look hot on thieves’ eyes.

A designer bag might give you confidence while walking, but sometimes, looking after your bag takes your focus off the scenery when traveling, says Hannah Villame of Pacsafe Philippines, a brand known for its anti-theft bags.

“Our company has been two decades in the industry…We always focus on functionality and safety as you enjoy your adventures,” Villame enthuses.

To give women the confidence of carrying a designer bag while enjoying the multi-functionality of an athletic or traveling bag, Pacsafe recently launched CitySafe CX Collection, which includes seven versatile styles such as backpacks that morph into sling bags, expandable crossbody bags, and tote bags that double as gym bags with yoga mat holders.

On the outside, the bags come in trendy but flexible colors such as merlot, black, and blush, but on the inside, they have been technologically equipped with the brand’s latest innovation, the Roobar Style locking system, a metallic hardware designed to stand against pickpockets by keeping zippers unmoved.

The convertible bags come with Turn & Lock or Snap & Lock mechanisms that allow city dwellers to attach their bags around fixed handles such as chair pillars or poles. RFIDsafe pockets are built in to store credit cards and IDs in, keeping them scan-free against digital identity theft.

The same features are present in the travel brand Lewis & Clark, which has several sizes of lightweight, expandable packing cubes, featuring multiple colors and durable silnylon, a synthetic fabric that is both water- and stain-resistant, essential for mobile and rough adventuring. Mesh panels make its contents easily identifiable and properly ventilated. Packing cubes also make small electronics intact and clothing wrinkle-free.

Made with TravelDry fabric, waist stashes, neck stashes, and document organizers come with adjustable straps to fit any traveler’s comfort and with multi-pockets to store different kinds of documents in an orderly manner. These stashes resist moisture, shrinking, dust and mildew, made to withstand the harshest travel environments while keeping your private documents all to yourself.

In addition, the new CitySafe CX collection also has the brand’s signature eXomes slash guards and Carry safe slash guard straps with wire mesh, both state of the art materials that keep the bag sturdy and undamaged even against sharp objects.

The collection is now available in all Travel Club branches, and will be available in boutiques in Glorietta 5, SM Mall of Asia, and SM Seaside Cebu, as well as in Urbanize and Rustan’s branches, Fashion Rack NAIA 3 and Duty Free.

The collection’s advanced security features, says Villame, give one peace of mind, while its stylishness and multiple functions complement one’s wardrobe and activities from day to night and from work to play.

Convertible CitySafe CX collection

Convertible tote bag with yoga mat handles

Luxury bag made street-smart

This fall, Longchamp is celebrating women in all their splendor, their independence, and their modern take-charge attitude as they constantly reinvent themselves.

Just like women that constantly reinvent themselves, Longchamp has introduced a new collection of bags that include pieces capable of constant reinvention – from backpack to sling bag and back again, so that the user seems to own two different pieces.

For fall, the brand gives a ‘70s throwback, from bold new colors to comfy yet sophisticated fabrics, Artistic Director Sophie Delafontaine takes one on a journey to the very core of women who own their femininity.

Gorgeous, rich hues of lilac and amethyst leave lasting imprints, while red, pink, and coral beautifully complement throughout. The collection embodies the self-sufficient woman.

On the front lines stand two new bags that write their own fashion code: the Pénélope Arty dons an understated medley of metallic, glazed, and suede leather for a 3D op art effect, like an artwork by Victor Vasarely.

The Effrontée (French for “brazen”) really lives up to its name. Breaking free of convention, it delves into a cheeky composition of contrast and negative space as it cuts seductive, arabesque lines.

Decidedly modern, graphic, and abstract, optical trends animate the ready-to-wear collection. A lambskin coat with metallic sleeves in the Op Art line covered in mesmerizing stripes. Shifting patterns in the Vibration motif magnified by the intensely plush suede on an ankle-length dress. Lamb's wool or goat hair lavishly draped on coats and cropped jackets that change it up here and there with light pastels. This collection roars into town like an invitation for women to break free from run-of-the-mill styles and colors towards unabashed ownership of sensuality and womanhood.

In the Philippines, Longchamp is available in Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, and Rustan’s Ayala Cebu. It is also available through boutiques owned and operated by Stores Specialists, Inc. located at Greenbelt 5.

The French luxury house was founded in Paris in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain, and is still owned and run by the Cassegrain family today. The brand has maintained momentum and energy across the decades. It epitomizes French flair, fresh and inspiring creativity, as well as sharing the active lives of women across the world who enjoy a touch of luxury every day.

Meanwhile, at Italian fashion house Tod’s, even men’s laptop messenger bags have been equipped with backpack straps for easy transition from work to travel.

The brand’s latest fall-winter collection includes other hybrids like the Boyfriend Coat, a versatile garment that translates the spirit of the street into functional luxury using precious materials.

There is also the Creeper, a new rubber base for moccasins and high heel lace up ankle boots. The line is a sophisticated and colorful take on old work shoe soles and new street influences.

This season, the brand’s signature ‘Double T’ Moccasin comes in matelasse leather with a lozenge pattern and the refined color palette of the season. The double T fastening also features on the spat of the riding boots.

Finally, there is the Sella bag, which brings an aristocratic outdoor taste into the realm of city luxury, with its ribbing and stitching that imbibes the feel of a contemporary metropolitan architecture rooted in a long history of genuine saddle craft. 

Longchamp fall 2017 collection

Models in Tod's latest fall-winter omnibus, with convertible bags.

 — Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo