Fashion: All About Handbags
By April MasiniApril 6, 2007 (Posted at 12:18 pm)
What trends are we seeing with women’s handbags?
Men had their Hummers to let everyone know who had the biggest 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.
What features should a woman look for when buying a handbag?
Buy leather — not imitations. Look for good handcrafting (or machine crafting depending on your budget). You can check seams, zippers, any closures on the purse for durability and fine stitching. This is especially important with bigger handbags because 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 trends are we seeing with 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.
What material makes the best purse, wallet and/or handbag?
Leather is wonderful for winter and fall. 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.
For spring and summer, 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.
