Why Hunting Season Is This A-List Stylist’s Go-To Bag Brand
If you want your next bag to be a true investment piece, Hunting Season creates elegant, modern heirlooms your wardrobe will love and treasure forever. Here, New York super-stylist, KATE YOUNG, explains why she’s already a big fan of the American label when it comes to classic arm candy with bags of staying power…
When it comes to personal style, “one person’s definition of ‘classic’ is Jackie Kennedy, while another’s might be Jennifer Lopez,” says Kate Young. It’s by recognizing that personal style should be exactly that – personal – that Young has established herself as one of the most influential and in-demand celebrity stylists working today. The process of how we dress ourselves is full of quirks and idiosyncrasies, so she has always maintained that “you’re much better off if you take some photos of yourself and find the most flattering look on you, rather than what looks good on someone else.” It’s good advice – and one of the many reasons Young has such an illustrious career, helping the likes of Julianne Moore, Sienna Miller, Dakota Johnson and Rachel Weisz to hone their signature styles.
So, what are the pieces that Young thinks every woman should have in her closet? “Good underwear, jewelry that means something to them, shoes that make them feel comfortable, and… a dress-up outfit that they feel confident wearing,” she says. “Oh, and a bag that is both practical and chic.” As for bags, Young turns to Hunting Season.
Founded by Valentino alum Danielle Corona in 2006, the brand embraces time-honored artisanal techniques to create modern heirlooms; classic, elegant designs that are pared-back and resistant to fads. The first time Young saw Hunting Season’s designs, she felt excited. “They felt new. With Hunting Season, you feel a strong sense of style that transcends trends. Nothing feels overly designed,” she says. “They have a chic, fashiony vibe, while also giving a nice nod to craftsmanship and their roots. Their luxuriously serene and minimalist aesthetic leaves room for interpretation. They are modernizing the classics.”
Since then, Hunting Season has gone on to become Young’s secret weapon – and not just for her A-list clients (Moore, Miller, Johnson and Weisz are all fans), but for accessorizing her own outfits, too.
Summer was spent carrying the brand’s woven basket bag with leather trim – “I literally wear it with everything” – and, for fall, she is excited to embrace pieces from the new-season collection. “My everyday carryall is ‘The Hobo’: it’s uncomplicated, clean and unadorned, functional yet sophisticated – perfect as a day bag,” she says. “For evening, I love that Hunting Season has created pieces that evoke a feeling of something that is borrowed from the past and brought into this modern world. Velvet and satin always add an elegant touch to their sleek compact clutches. The tassels drape romantically against the body. I will definitely be using the black satin trunk with tassels.”
“With Hunting Season, you feel a strong sense of style that transcends trends. Nothing feels overly designed
”Kate Young
Young is also a fan of Hunting Season’s venture into homewares. “I love the leather-trimmed trunk box and keep that on my dresser. I also have a lighter on my coffee table, placed on one of the brand’s moulded leather trays. We use it to light incense. It gives the room a decadent ’70s vibe – and [implies] we might be smoking and having crazy parties like they used to back then.”
Another reason she really clicks with the brand is that Hunting Season is female-run and owned. “I love women – that’s why I like this job so much. I also love chatting to creative women about what they make and why. It always makes me love their creations more. Hunting Season has a following of women who connect with the brand’s vision; it is for the thinking shopper.”