Katie Holmes's Bags and Style

If you regularly consume celebrity media, you’re probably aware that Katie Holmes has been in New York City for about a week. There’s no sign of Tom, but Katie, Suri and Katie’s mom have been up and down this tiny island what seems like a million times. On the five-block trip home from my grocery store last Tuesday, I got caught in their paparazzi scrum on 3rd Avenue. It was something to behold, and I felt a little bit bad for Suri.

That’s why I’ve chosen some pictures of Katie that don’t include Suri, but do include a bag that I think is kind of interesting. Normally we cover luxurious, super expensive accessories in these parts, but the FEED Nature Cotton Tote Bag that Katie wore to spinning class at Soul Cycle yesterday is interesting for different reasons. Not only is it reasonably priced at $45, but the proceeds from all of FEED’s bags buy 25 meals apiece for people living in areas devastated by natural disasters and served by the UN World Food Programme. Not bad, eh?

Bag Katie’s FEED Style via Saks! View the Gallery →

After writing for this site for a couple of years, I’ve gotten used to what kinds of handbags most major stars carry. Some choose things that are obvious and trendy, others choose more restrained options that are still clearly from a major designer, and others still totally stump me. Usually Kate Holmes falls into the middle category – her bags are usually well-tailored to her personal style, but anyone who follows the accessories world closely would be able to tell you what she was carrying at any given time.

As a result, the red bag that Holmes is carrying in these pictures is making me feel a little insecure. Why don’t I know what it is? Does it have some sort of face on the opposite side that would make it an obvious pick? Katie usually doesn’t wear small or independent designers, so why isn’t this design ringing any bells? Somehow, one or more of you always know what it is these ladies are carrying, so help me out here. Edify me. Give me a clue, because I clearly lack one. The leather and shape sort of look like Balenciaga, but the handles and hardware are all wrong, as is the shape at the top. What gives? View the Gallery →

I’m not a personal fan of Valextra’s handbags; they may be well-made and luxurious, but I’ve often felt that for the same money, you can get something of the same quality that has a more interesting (and equally timeless) design. Of course, I’m not Valextra’s target customer, so that might have something to do with my lukewarm feelings toward the brand’s products. Katie Holmes, on the other hand, is much closer to Valextra’s ideal audience and has a very notable admiration for the brand’s products.

In these photos, Katie’s carrying a black Valextra Babila Tote, which is probably the brand’s most popular handbag design, but Katie has also partnered with the powers that be at Valextra (and her stylist) to do a capsule collection – Valexta for Holmes & Yang. This bag appears to be just a regular Babila, but clearly Katie has a stockpile of Valextra bags in what must be an utterly cavernous closet. (Unrelated: Suri just keeps getting cuter and cuter.)

Bag Katie’s Valextra Style via Barneys! View the Gallery →

Back in my middle school days, I would have never guessed that the young actress I loved on Dawson’s Creek would grow up to collaborate on a high-end handbag line that I’d eventually write about, but I guess life is funny that way. Katie Holmes has done quite a bit of growing up since then, although it bears mentioning that she doesn’t look like she’s aged a bit, and she has a brand new fashion line with stylist and friend Jeanne Yang that is called, appropriately, Holmes & Yang.

This particular bag comes from the Valextra x Holmes & Yang line, which has just debuted at Barneys. The line consists of this tote in several different sizes and colors, but it looks as though Katie has opted for the large slate grey version with an embossed crocodile top. As with all of Valextra’s products, this one is immaculate.

Bag Kate’s Valextra Style via Barneys! View the Gallery →

Is the Balenciaga Matelasse Satchel coming back? I’m not aware of any impending return, but we all know that Katie Holmes is not one to carry a bag from years gone by, so seeing her out and about with her family and a several-years-old quilted brown Balenciaga is enough to make me ask the question.

The bag isn’t the only thing that struck me as odd about these photographs, though. First, that’s some awkward hand-holding, you guys. Not a great way to shrug off the arranged-marriage rumors! Second, the outfit. I like a retro trouser as much as the next girl, and Katie is tall and thin enough to pull off even a difficult proportion, but these weird burnt sienna slacks are doing her no favors at all. Punctuating them with dark Givenchy Suede Booties only accentuates how odd the pants are, unfortunately.

Bag Katie’s Givenchy Style via MyTheresa! View the Gallery →

Oh, dear.

As much as I think Katie Holmes’ hair and makeup look kind of cute in these photos from the New York premiere of The Extra Man, I can’t heap much praise on the rest of her look. Her navy and red Celine shirtdress might have been adorable for a quick run to the grocery store with some fun flats, but for an evening event in New York City involving a red carpet and photographers? No way. Not even close.

Not only that, but she didn’t even take a moment to style the dress. She appears to have just thrown it on with the necklace she was already wearing that day and some mid-heel Roger Vivier pumps that don’t even match and left the house. She surely has a nearly unlimited clothing budget – I wish she had used it more wisely.

Bag Katie Holmes’ Vivier Style via Luisa Via Roma! View the Gallery →

Despite the wonky crotch situation happening in a few of these photos, doesn’t Katie Holmes look kind of…fantastic? High-waist, wide-leg jeans with a tucked-in plaid shirt and 70s style sunglasses isn’t a combination that I would recommend to, well, anyone, but somehow she’s making it all work. If you ignore the crotch issues, that is.

She’s got a serious retro look going on here, and I think that she picked her grey Lanvin Quilted Happy Shoulder Bag to coordinate with it perfectly. The zigzag quilting is reminiscent of the same era as the rest of her outfit, but in the best, most high-end way possible.

Bag Katie’s Lanvin Style via Net-a-Porter! View the Gallery →

I have no great love for either Kate Holmes or Tom Cruise (in fact, I kind of hate Tom for various reasons that aren’t particularly well thought-out, just like most celebrity hatred), but if I could get some sort of promise from the universe that if I had a child, it would look like Suri Cruise, I would start trying to get pregnant tomorrow. I don’t even like kids, but this little bambino makes my uterus ache to have children. That’s no small feat.

As a consolation prize for not being able to have a Suri clone, however, I would gladly except a clone of Holmes’s Chloé Marcie Python Hobo as a consolation prize. Sueded, whiskey-colored python in such a big and beautiful setting? That may be enough to distract me from a child even if I had one. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I probably shouldn’t. Shhh. Don’t tell my mom.

Bag Katie’s Chloé Style via Nordstrom! View the Gallery →

Ok, so we’ve been sitting on these images of Katie Holmes for a while now – thus the snow. But, part of the reason I haven’t shared these yet is because I just can’t seem to figure out what the heck Katie is carrying here. Even readers on the PurseForum were stumped and usually at least one handbag guru can ID when we can’t. So, please, HALP, what’s Katie carrying?

While I don’t know what Katie carried, she certainly looked rather fierce while attending the Sundance Film Festival. There is something about an all black ensemble that makes me think “fierce” every single time. This is definitely the case here. Katie wore a great black coat, black pants, black boots, black sunglasses and a fabulous black bag that, as you already know, we just can’t figure out. Ideas? View the Gallery →

Now these pictures are a breath of fresh air. I love when I get to see a super popular and well known family looking and acting, “normal”. We all know that Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and Suri Cruise can’t go anywhere with out the paparazzi following close behind. Tom is one of the most highly sought after actors and Katie is not only an actress she is also quite the fashionista. Speaking of fashionistas, Suri is becoming one too! Katie recently reported that Suri picks out her own clothes… even when shopping! Precious.

Here the family was enjoying some down time at a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The entire family captures the casually cool look with perfection. Katie is rocking a pair of boyfriend jeans while toting a Yves Saint Laurent Besace Flap Bag. Another thing that I am eating up now, the fact that Suri looks like she’s trying to emulate mom by wrapping her blankie around her shoulders – just like mom’s long sweater. Maybe Suri is just cold, but I’m going to go with my original thought.

Bag Katie’s YSL Style via Saks! View the Gallery →

My goodness! When did Suri Cruise get so big? When did her hair get so long? How old is she now? I think that the last time I saw her, she was legitimately a toddler, where have they been hiding her? Or, rather, where have I been hiding myself?

Mom Katie Holmes is also looking slightly less like a prisoner of war in these photos than she usually does, perhaps because Tom is nowhere to be found. But, hey, that’s just a theory. She’s carrying a Valextra Babila Tote, which a lot of people like but I find a bit boring, and she looks comfortable and happy. Well, happy-ish. It’s clear, though, that she cares a great deal about her adorable little girl, who appears to be but a couple of years shy of carrying a handbag herself. She’s just about the most adorable little kid on the face of the planet, so I can’t wait to see what she chooses for her own personal style as she grows up.

Bag Katie’s Valextra Style via Barneys! View the Gallery →

This is the second time we’ve covered Katie Holmes toting her beloved Valextra Slim Shopping Bag in white pergamena, but this time her outfit has turned a swift 180. Last time we covered Katie, the bag served to fancy up her simple sweater and American Apparel sweatpants ensemble. Here, though, we see Valextra in its element. The brand is synonymous with minimalism in its extremely well made, sleekly leathered bags and accessories, and this getup totally showcases that. The black of her dress and pants, cream of that gorgeous coat, tan of the waist-cincher and sparkly headband go to show that blending textures and shades, rather than colors, can go a long way. Well played, Katie. I was beginning to forget your sophisticated style in the wake of the messy boyfriend-jean trend you one-handedly started.

Bag Katie Holmes’s Style via Barney’s New York for $2500! View the Gallery →