Q&A with New Look Fashion Buyer + An Exclusive 20% Off Voucher on All Bags & Shoes!

Q&A with New Look Fashion Accessories Buyer: AW Accessories’ Trends

Today we’ve got a story to tell: if you’re wondering what to wear this new upcoming Autumn-Winter season, this post is for You! When it comes to Autumn-Winter trends colour choices seem to considerably narrow bringing up either the ‘safe’ or the ‘classic’: black, grey and…black again:). What about the warmer colours?

Let’s find out in a fun way: what we’ve got to share today is an exclusive New Look 20% off Voucher code for all Bags & Shoes ending in just 5 days from now – on 17th August 2018!

New_Look_Bags_&_Shoes_Exclusive_Voucher

To find out how to get creative during the ‘gloomy season’ we’ve asked for a few trips and tricks from a lead Fashion Accessories Buyer at New Look, Faye Walton:

Q: How would you describe your customers during the Autumn-Winter season?

A: I think our customers are fun loving girls, who love to shop at New Look because they can look and feel good for a great price. We know they love to party as we are the #1 brand on the high street for going out bags but they also buy their everyday bags with us as large tote bags are our biggest sellers.

Q: How would you describe the most functional bag? What are the must-have features?

A:  It depends completely on what the customer is using the bag for, if it’s a work bag that you use every day it need to be large enough to fit all your stuff in (and we know us girls can carry a LOT of stuff) but still be comfortable, ie not too heavy or bulky and have internal pockets where you can keep your essentials like a phone or travel card.

 For going out, my personal view is that it’s all about the look of the bag, as long as I can fit my cash card, my phone and a lippy in there securely then I’m happy. For the look, the more glitter and bling the better, especially for the upcoming Christmas season, we have some great embellished and glitter bags that should catch our girls eye! We also try to incorporate a shoulder or wrist strap on most of our clutches and small bags so our customers can carry them comfortably.

Q: Your bags are displaying lively colours which could suggest the wearer’s strong character and perhaps a cheerful mood. How would you advise our readers to adjust colour-matching when wearing daywear bags? 

A:  Our customer’s definitely have strong and varied personalities and over the past year at New Look we have also developed an equally strong product handwriting on handbags that sets us apart from our competition, this includes being confident in selling bold colours alongside classic neutral and black and we have reflected this trend in our AW14 collection.

I would advise customers to experiment with colour, I don’t think you have to put on a black or neutral outfit to wear a bright colour pop bag, colour clashing with the right shades can look great. For example lime is a key colour at the moment and it sits well with cobalt blue or khaki: 

For those who are a not as confident wearing bright coloured clothing a colour pop or metallic bag is a great way to liven up your look and with our great value bags you can wear a different colour every day!

Q: For the daywear bags – what comes first: the bag or the outfit? (How should we be styling our outfits, is the bag our secondary or primary item)?

A: When it comes to daywear, as much as I am an accessory lover I think it’s more practical to build your accessories around your outfit. Functionality and comfort are key.

For those customers may have to wear a uniform or wear specific work clothes during the week and don’t feel as individual they can use a great bag to express their personalities.

Q:  For partywear bags – what comes first: the bag or the outfit?

A:  I always plan my outfit around my accessories, bags and jewellery first then shoes and all these departments are amazing at New Look, I’m always in there spending my hard earned money on a glitzy clutch bag or chunky gem necklace! I’m really loving all the coloured metallic and glitters that are around this winter:

Q: What would you say are the key trends on bags for Autumn – Winter 2014:

A:  The trend on bags for AW14 is for clean lines and shapes, detail is added in metal bars, new locks, quilting, panelling and padding. Perforation, printed finishes and new embossing techniques add texture and surface interest. Colour blocking is bought up to date with new colour levels and snake skin effects.

Zips and pocket details are key, along with luggage tags, fobs and padlocks for detail.

Q: What are the key shapes on bags for the Autumn – Winter season:

A:  Key shapes on bags are the Tote with the new east/west shape emerging, backpacks, boxy bowlers, the east/west clutch, satchels re-emerging and frame bags. We also start to see the return of some softer profiles after a very structured few seasons previously. 

Print on bags is a trend for the season, dark based florals and grid prints being a key direction.

Q: What are the new colours for the new season?

A: Key new colours for the season are Purples, khaki greens, electric blues & cornflowers, raspberry, tomato red and lime green:

 Monochrome is still important but moves on in geometric printed patterns, on metallics we will see the return of silver. On the lighter side of colour cosmetic tones and plaster pinks sit back with chalky neutral levels, camels and minks alongside soft metallic highlights.

Novelty and whimsy on bags is still a huge trend, concentrating on animals and food items as the key direction.

Q: A few words of farewell to our readers:

A: I hope you love our bag collection for the AW14 season ahead as much as the buying and design teams at New Look do! We have worked hard to achieve the right balance of style and value with lots of excitement in new details and colours, so go and shop til you drop!