Latest Female Fashion Trends -Handbags

Gatta Have Handbags! Everything You Need to Know About the Latest Trends in Handbags So You Can Complete Your Spring Wardrobe

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

What’s the hottest trend in handbags right now? And what do I need to know so that I can look as hot as possible? I want to buy a bag or two, but I have no idea what size, shape or color to go with. 

Sincerely,

Help Me Bag It

A:

Dear Help Me Bag It,

The biggest trend to be seen this season is not in hemlines -- it's in HANDBAGS! If you want to be as in style as possible, you need to have the perfect handbag. 

Size Matters

Men had their Hummers to let everyone know who had the biggest ...car... on the road. Now, we've seen -- and are seeing a parallel trend in handbags. Women have to have the BIGGEST bag on their arm that they can possibly carry without tipping over. Big, chunky, and slung over the inside of the elbow is the current trend in bags. Sleek is out. Luggage look is in.

Details Make The Fashion Statement

Buy leather -- not imitations. Look for good handcrafting (or machine crafting depending on your budget). You can check seams, zippers, and any closures on the purse for durability and fine stitching. This is especially important with bigger handbags because since they tend to hold more, women stash more in them, and they become very heavy, causing wear and tear on the material and the enclosures.

What About Wallets?

Wallets are no longer an item to be carried on their own. They are meant to be had but not seen. Hidden in the big bags that are fashionable now, wallets are conservative affairs -- no bright colors or crazy shapes. Functional and sleek.

Do I Have To Buy Leather?

Leather is wonderful for Winter and Fall. And lighter colored leather works in Spring and Summer. There is nothing to beat it. It wears well. It looks great when it wears, and it can be cared for with leather care products to keep it looking new, if you like the new look. It has a rich look that imitations just don't have.

But you can give yourself a break for Spring and Summer when fabric is a great choice for a bag, as is straw. As long as the bags are kept neat and don't look like shopping bags or high school backpacks, you're fine. Keep the fabric bags clean the same way you would your clothing.

How many purses are too many?

Bad question for me because I don't think you can have too many purses. The only way you have too many is if you have purses you don't use because they're too ratty and you can't bear to part with them (toss 'em!) or if you have so much stuff in your closet, or so many purses in your possession, that you can't actually see your own inventory. In that case, having a lot of purses doesn't serve your purpose because you don't know what you have so you can't even use them.

*Storing your purses is crucial to having a productive and effective wardrobe. Store them in a way that they are not smashed and disfigured, and that you can see them in a well lit area.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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