If you ask around what is the season that seems to fly by the quickest people will answer, “summer”! Summer brings warmth, days off, vacations, long days of sunshine, al fresco meals, opera and movies in the park, water sports, time with friends and family outdoors, summer dresses, shorts and sandals. Sadly we are already finding ourselves in midsummer now or what we call "the dogs days of summer". To the Greeks and Romans, the “dog days” occurred around the time the star Sirius appears to rise alongside the sun, in late July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. They believed the heat from the two stars combined is what made these days the hottest of the year, a period that could bring fever or even catastrophe (or in modern days climate change). Sadly dog days are here and that means fall is just around the corner so we must cram in the rest of our summer fun in the next few short weeks.
Founder Elif Akaydin with Noah, showing us the real Dog Days of Summer.
Summer is also the time to bring out your summer wardrobe and handbags which tend to be more colorful and celebratory than the rest of the year. Summer handbags can be colorful, huge or small and made with fun textures and materials, often woven or knitted. Summer bags are used for more specific reasons, for instance; carrying a towel, hauling beach gear, large sunglasses, a book for reading in the park, your devices and summer makeup. You are doing this all the while trying to look cute and coordinated with your summer outfit and sandals.
Patent of Heart understands the love of summer handbag styles and have created a stunning collection of macramé handbags. One of our favorites is the Zelda Macramé handbag. With the Zelda Macramé handbag you can carry from the beach to dinner with friends and family. It’s a versatile design that will give you summer vibes all year round. All macramé handbags were made in collaboration with "This Is Mana", an organization that empowers women artisans in Turkey and ensures no one is left with empty pockets. Each product of our Femina Manu Collection is envisioned and designed by women at every step of the production cycle, hand-knitted one by one by gifted fingers. The Zelda comes in black, tan, burgundy and mustard which will fit in nicely with all your summer outfits. One more amazing benefit to purchasing the Zelda Macramé handbag is that with every purchase Patent of Heart contributes towards " I Have A Daughter in Anatolia" a project founded to provide education to young women in Eastern Turkey. So not only do you get a stylish handbag that was created by artisans in a sustainable craft that has been passed on for multiple generations which helps the artisan support their family but you contribute to the education of young women in Turkey. Patent of Heart gives you a stylish sustainable product that you will treasure, that supports artisans and helps young women achieve their education. That is win/win/win/win!! It’s the perfect bag to wear to your favorite rooftop bar. We love the rooftop bar located at the Arlo Hotel in Soho, NY. Hudson River views, great bespoke cocktails and a DJ to make you feel like you are in Ibiza enjoying the nightlife.
Now that you have the bag where else to go mid summer? Whether you are on holiday abroad, traveling across the country, a yacht in the Mediterranean (we’re jealous!!) or you are regulated to day trips around your city or town a staycation can be quite entertaining. Summertime is the time of festivals, fairs, concerts (indoor and outdoors), beaches or lake outings, hiking in parks or a trip to your local amusement park. Even in the city you can have a staycation by spending the day in a cool museum soaking in the culture and ending the evening on a rooftop bar with some summertime cocktails.
The Solana Bag is the perfect bag for a day trip to the museum with its wavy macramé geometric design patterns. Available in white and black, just like the Zelda macramé handbag it is made by artisans with a portion of proceeds going towards “I Have A Daughter in Anatolia”. The Solana Bag is the perfect artsy bag as it is a combination of traditional artisanal craft and modern day aesthetics. If you are wondering why you should go to a museum especially in summer, many museums are not only temples of art they also provide cultural entertainment, music, lectures, fine food, cocktails and more. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has a satellite museum space called The Cloisters. The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City, specializing in European medieval art and architecture, with a focus on the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Built from pieces of medieval buildings and abbeys throughout Europe and centrally located in the middle of a city park on the northern end of Manhattan, one feels like you have been transported to the Italian countryside. In their outdoor gardens one can have some rosé and listen to a jazz trio. If you can’t get to Italy, The Cloisters are the next best thing.
If you live in New York City, you can really have an escape to an island, Gitano Island. To get there you will take a quick five minute ferry ride from South Ferry to Governor’s Island where a quick walk from the port will bring you to Gitano Island, a Mexican restaurant that will make you feel like you are on a beach in Tulum (sans the sand). With a glorious view of lower Manhattan, this romantic, outdoor dining area has gourmet Mexican food, cocktails and a great nightlife. With a maxi summer dress, the Mina Clutch would be the perfect accessory to bring along. The Mina is an artisanal clutch hand-woven with raffia and available in gold, lilac, yellow and orange. Our beach bag collection is all about luxury from the sustainable materials we use to the special attention given to handmade details meticulously made by our talented women artisans. The inside of this raffia clutch is ideally sized for daily or beach use. It will always be firmly in your hand, with essentials stored inside.
If you crave a real midsummer escape from New York City that involves getting into a car/train/jitney, there is the Hamptons, an enclave of charming quaint towns at the tail end of Long Island. Right off the North Folk of the Hamptons is Shelter Island, attainable by a quick ferry ride from the town of Greenport. Shelter Island has many beaches but the most popular beach is Crescent Beach where you will find Sunset Beach Hotel. Between the beach, the yachts and sailboats docked right on the water and the hotel, restaurant and beach bar it is the next best thing to being in St. Tropez. The June Bucket handbag is a charming beach bag perfect for the Sunset Beach scene with four color combinations of multi color stripes. This artisanal fold-over bucket bag is hand-woven with raffia and made from sustainable materials handcrafted by our talented women artisans. It is the perfect stylish bag to match the sunny colors and festive feeling of Sunset Beach.
Whether you are lucky enough to get away this summer or just enjoying a staycation in your area, Patent of Heart has the perfect summer accessories for you to enjoy a stylish product made by artisans that give back to women. So please enjoy the rest of your summer, because time flies when you’re having fun so you might as well do it in sustainable style.