Here’s a photo of Anne Hathaway with her woven Ferragamo bag. This was taken a few fall seasons back, but I love how timeless she looks, like this was taken just last winter. The outfit does it of course – from her wrap dress, to her pumps, to the lovely woven black bag, everything about it spells classic.

Anne Hathaway

The beauty with classic pieces is its timelessness. It can be easily transformed to fit different seasons by doing a few adjustments with accessories.

To illustrate, let’s get a look-alike of Anne’s dress and make it spring appropriate. A good one to choose would be the AKA New York Wrap Dress below.

AKA New York Wrap Dress, on sale for only US$90 at Shopbop.com

With this dress in mind, the first thing you need to do is lose the black tights. Keep the legs bare and beautiful (and hairless!).

Second step, accessorize with colors to brighten up the blue wrap dress; no need to use a belt.

Juicy Couture Mia Stripe Packable Sun Hat, US$78

Disney Couture Pocahontas Arrow Hoop Earrings, US$38

Then wear a pair of uber chic flat thong sandals in neutral color like the Frye Kayla below.

Frye Kayla T Strap Studded Sandals, US$148

And last but not least, do wear a woven bag like Anne Hathaway’s Ferragamo because woven bags are the thing to tote this spring.

Keep the color of the bag in basic black, and avoid using patent because your dress (the AKA New York) is already shiny. A good woven alternative would be the Cole Haan Prudence Square Hobo.

Cole Haan Prudence Square Hobo, US$398

If the price of the Cole Haan bag is a little high for you, then you can go for the Steve Madden Woven Wonder Satchel instead, priced only at US$109.

Steve Madden Woven Wonder Satchel, US$109

Once you’re done, you’re pretty much spring ready!

If somebody were to ask me what neutral colored bag they should buy for spring (given that the coming season will primarily be all colors), it would be the Cole Haan Prudence Top Handle in Ivory.

Cole Haan Prudence Top Handle in Ivory, US$398

Tell me, do you agree with me or not? Isn’t this woven bag beautiful?

The color is just perfect, the kind that would go well with almost any outfit (well, except a red carpet gown), not too white, nor too creamy. That and the soft, plush, woven leather material Cole Haan used simply makes you want to run your fingers through the bag.

And guess what my favorite part is? It’s the interior.

As a standard, the interior is lined with Cole Haan’s signature print. But what I love most about the inside is that all the pockets and compartments are trimmed with leather, so it looks more classy.

Cole Haan Prudence Top Handle in Ivory (interior)

This is what I admire about Cole Haan – their attention to detail. You can tell just by looking at the interior that they invested time in making sure the bag is well-made.

As a finale, Cole Haan used first-class gold hardware to go with the Ivory color so the bag simply looks rich, refined, and elegant, rather than casual.

And at reasonable price of US$398, you know you are getting great value for your money.

You can purchase the Ivory Cole Haan Prudence Top Handle at Zappos.com. It also comes in other basic colors like Black and Peccan Distressed (a shade of brown). However, these two (2) offer a more casual appeal:

Cole Haan Prudence Top Handle in Black

Cole Haan Prudence Top Handle in Pecan Distressed