IN THE BAG: SHOULDER BAGS PACK PLENTY OF STYLE FOR SPRING

While designers influence fashion trends, consumers hold the final say in what's hot and what's not. If a new or updated look is going to work, it has to meet a need and reflect a style that speaks to the buyer.

As with clothing, purses can vary in color, style, form, and even function. Yet, there's a common denominator among many of the bags on display at retailers everywhere. For overall appeal, the shoulder bag -- or some variation of it -- just can't be beat.

Bumped aside temporarily by the structured, hand-held bag, shoulder bags are packing plenty of style for spring.

"We've moved into a much more relaxed-chic sportswear feeling, and you need to move away from high, high heels and structured handbags," says Joan Kaner in New York, senior vice president and fashion director for Neiman Marcus. "The shoulder bag frees your hands and goes with the return of the loafer and lower heels."

Lynda Gant, buyer for Sandy's at The Crossroads, sees that same trend. Styles are leaning toward casual looks that are carefree in both attitude and care requirements, she explained. "It's the type of clothing you wear all day and if necessary you can still wear that night," she said. "Our purses are going to reflect that."

That's where the structured bag with the removable strap fits right in. For many women, the structured handbag with a removable shoulder strap offers the best of both worlds.

"We are seeing a lot of the box-style handbags, with a rigid formation, in either a rectangle or square or interesting shape, and they usually have both a shoulder strap and a small carrying handle on the top," said Janice Hill, buyer for Hartford's on Broadview.

Pocketbook styles, throwbacks to looks popularized in the 1950s and 1960s, but this time with small, over-the-shoulder straps, are cropping up more and more, noted Teresa Guiling, merchandising assistant at JCPenney in West Park Mall, adding: "Many times they have double straps that are adjustable."

Spokesmen for several local retailers and women's apparel shops noted that when it comes to purse size, small to medium size bags are buyer favorites.

"We're finding a lot of ladies are purchasing our smaller bags, a lot are wanting to go to the smaller bags," Guiling said.

"Women have gone back to the camera size purses, and the purses they can carry their cellular phones in," Gant said. "Even billfolds now are having the straps, so you can take the billfold right out of your purse and carry it into the grocery store."

Plaza bags -- a medium sized, tailored bag with a chain or leather shoulder strap that can be tucked inside -- are among the favorite styles of patrons of Hecht's on North Main. The plaza bags, along with other styles, are seen in a wide range of color and color combinations this spring, noted Pat Harrison of Hecht's.

"Often, it's the material it's made from that sets it apart," Harrison said of the plaza bag. Often fashioned from faille, the bags coordinate with matching shoes. "You're starting to see more purses that match your shoes than you did for a while," Harrison observed.

Other textures, from mock crocodile to shiny vinyl and woven leather are also hitting the shelves.

"We'll have leathers, vinyls, patent leathers, straw and canvas for spring," said Hill. Metallics in styles ranging from string wallets to tote bags, casual to dressy, illustrate the versatility in spring style.

Neutrals, too, are expected to sell well.

That neutrality can often move easily from daywear into evening. "Most ladies, when they buy that special handbag, they carry it all the time," Guiling said.

"Usually, people have an everyday handbag for fall, and one for spring, and then they use other styles for special occasions," Hill said.

Ed Miccinati, president of Ganson Ltd., a handbag company in San Francisco, advises shoppers to ask to test the bag before they buy it. "A bag stuffed with tissue paper doesn't necessarily tell you what it will look like with all your belongings," he noted.

The shoulder bag looks newest when it's cradled close to the body on a short strap, squarely under the arm. As for size, remember proportion. "Your bag is an accessory item. Look at it as part of your total look," Miccinati said.

Like with other fashion choices, one woman's definition of an everyday bag may not be another's. Ultimately, "it has to suit their everyday activities," Hill said. For many, some variation of a shoulder bag does just that.