Both Emily and Sam are carrying brown leather cross-body purses. I usually wear a cross-body purse because I like the security of not needing to worry about misplacing it at a store. I also love how the design frees up my hands. Cross-body bags are certainly a prevalent summer trend here in Chicago, and one I hope is here to stay.

This is a photo taken earlier in the summer of a woman walking down Halsted Street with a cross-body purse: