By Julia Szabo
Eagle-eyed movie buffs familiar with Hitchcock’s riveting Rear Window will recall the arm candy toted by Grace Kelly as Lisa, James Stewart’s ultrachic fashion-editor partner-in-crime-busting: a timeless Mark Cross number somewhere between a handbag and luggage. Now, picture lovely Lisa as a latter-day Hamptons habitue, motoring between her garden, her favorite charity horticulture event and the country club: What would her bag(s) be today? Still Mark Cross, the venerable brand founded in 1845, which has collaborated with AERIN to produce a quartet of accessories hand-crafted in Italy of natural canvas and vachetta calfskin, designed to age over time as it acquires a chocolate-brown patina.
“I have always been inspired by Mark Cross and the brand’s American heritage sensibility,” says Aerin Lauder, founder and creative director of AERIN. “Now, I am honored to be a part of the brand’s relaunch. Our capsule collection is perfectly stylish and feminine, yet sporty and timeless.”
Look for a rectangular “magazine tote,” glorious garden satchel (complete with tools!) and sleek canvas pouch that converts from crossbody to handbag. As for the fourth item? A tennis racquet cover, an apt symbol for a fashionable grand slam—the happy result of one very stylish love match. aerin.com; markcross.com