The Dylan tennis bag from the Cole Haan Sporting Collection uses 11 bottles' worth of recycled plastic.

With the impending arrival of spring, the Cole Haan Sporting Collection — inspired by tennis, golf, track and sailing — has us longing for two of our favorite springtime activities: outdoor sports and shopping. Tennis phenom Maria Sharapova is the face of the footwear and accessories line for both men and women and will collaborate with the Nike subsidiary for the fall designs.

The current women’s collection includes wedges, flats and sandals not meant for the court or the links, but equipped with Nike Air technology in the soles for comfort. Our favorites are the elegant London Air-T Strap ($298), the adorable Air Alexis Mary Janes ($188) and the strappy Air Addison ($168). The Zoom Flywire sneaker ($168) uses a design created for the 2008 Beijing Olympics to allow for a lightweight, sleek shoe that uses filaments to offer support wherever the foot needs it.

The Dylan accessories collection — including a duffel and tote — are made with Bionic yarn, containing fibers recycled from plastic bottles and trimmed with vegetable-dyed, chrome-free leather. The Dylan tennis bag (shown, $550) gives a new purpose to 11 recycled plastic bottles (plus we love the idea of being able to easily carry a tennis racket plus our usual purse contents). The Sporting Collection’s handbags also include the Kyle tote ($295), which is not made with recycled material but is comprised of lightweight nylon.

We’re willing to suffer for fashion only so much — we love shoes that are both stylish and comfortable. Plus, we think an eco-friendly bag that can carry a tennis racket is pretty fab. Which is most important to you when looking for footwear and bags: style or function?

Tags: Air technology, Alexis Mary Janes, Athletic shoe, Clothing, Cole Haan, Fashion, Footwear, golf, Maria Sharapova, Mary Jane, Nike Air Max, Nike Flywire, Nike Inc., sailing, Sandal, Shoes, Sports, tennis, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, USD