It's spring: Bag the basic black and perk up the purse action!

Byline: Young Chang

Whatever you do, don't play it safe.

Tone down the outfit or pick a subtler shoe _ but this season, don't wimp out on your bag.

Spring's hottest purse collections look plucked from a garden, with kicky yellows, pinks and greens making entire outfits bloom. The hardware is bulky, with buckles and grommets and other punky '80s throwbacks. White, meanwhile, begs to be overused.

"Everyone should have a pink bag or a green bag or an orange bag," said Kathy Faul, owner of Fremont, Wash., boutique Burnt Sugar.

In fact, her only rule this season would be to "stay away from the basics."

It's a surprising attitude to have about a daily accessory most of us choose in black, and in a size fit to carry our portable lives. But thanks to designs that increasingly inspire whimsy, and the idea that fashion sometimes does rule over function, we're starting to take risks with bags that we wouldn't with clothes. And there's nothing like a knockout purse to send a wink to fellow fashionistas letting them know you're a style force to be reckoned with, no matter what you're wearing.