Washington, D.C. - October 14, 2005

Gracias De Nada

Denada Design Bags

Remember the foreign-language feud of 1989? You wanted to take French (visions of fashion, chocolate, a semester in Paris). The ’rents insisted on Spanish (visions of practicality).

As a result, the necessary basics have stuck: Donde esta el baño? Necesito mas cerveza. And, of course, de nada.

So you’ll appreciate Denada Design, creators of some of the prettiest little bolsas (purses, silly) in town. Created by D.C. artist Virginia Arrisueño, the bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes — hobos, city totes, wristlets — and are made with standout fabrics patterned with bold, graphic designs like deco-y flowers, cool camo, and even a psychedelic toile.

Our fall fave has to be the mini amber floral striped tote with a magenta lining.

The best part? The bags cost only $30 to $50.

Which means you’ll have mucho dinero left over for those French lessons.

Available at Trim Salon, 2700 Ontario Road NW, second floor (202-462-6080); Eastern Market, 7th Street at North Carolina Avenue SE (Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.); online at denadadesign.com.