Holiday Trend: The Fashionable Flask

I was out shopping today at my local mall, as is my wont, when I saw the above collection of beautiful liquor flasks for holiday gift giving in one of the shops.  It seems that in the recession that the flask, for the hip pocket or for inside your purse, is enjoying a remarkable resurgence.  Flasks were popular in the Victorian era as a way to carry spirits along for an occasional nip of brandy or something stronger.   In the 1920’s they become a way to carry your own liquor, and hide it during prohibition when bottled liquor wasn’t available at a store for purchase.  Today, many of my friends are carrying flasks to defray the costs of buying drinks when they go out.  According to website Trend Central, “Dandy style appeal aside, the flask trend is more likely – dare we say it – a recession thing. Why pay for a weak $14 cocktail when you can just order a $2 beer and sneak your own shots of homemade infused vodka? “

In the current economy, the flask has now become a fashion accessory.  As you can see from the picture above, there are now monogrammed flasks, richly detailed, colored enamel flasks, leather flasks and fabric flasks. Naturally, I have a few flask favorites.  For style, I recommend Celia Birtwell’s adorable Mademoiselle Hip Flask in Pink.  It’s hard to resist such a charming liquor carrier for your favorite “tipple.”  The amazing Ms. Birtwell now ships to the US and well as the UK so that more of her fans can enjoy her fashionable delights.

If you need a little pick me up, and don’t want to spend $10.00 to $15.00 for a cocktail at a swanky bar/restaurant, then a charming flask is your new best friend! Simply sequester it in a favorite handbag, filled with rum, vodka, or gin,  then bring it out to give life to your purchased Lemonade, Arnold Palmer, Coke or other restaurant “soft drink.”  Even better, bring your own packet of  Crystal Light, mix it with free water at the restaurant table, then pour in a little of the contents of your fashionable flash.  Voila, you have a delicious and economical drink.  Even better, bring your flask on a hotel stay and eschew the mini-bar.  I’m not advocating drinking.  I’m just saying…there are ways to have your drink and save too.

 The ultimate recession flask is of course the ” Vive la Recession” flask.  The copy  for the flask on the New Museum website notes that “Vive la Recession came out of long drunken sessions amongst unemployed friends celebrating the fact that though they were not working, they were still rich in company, creativity, and conversation.” Clearly, the flask is part of a new recession renaissance.  Look for flasks at J. Crew, Urban Outfitters, and even Amazon.com.  Prices for flasks range from $4.99 (the Girls’ Nite Out Flask on Amazon) to $100.00.  The average price is under $40.00 USD making a  fashionable flask a good deal for carrying your own drinks, and for holiday gift giving.