Designer Handbags

My Love Affair with Handbags

The saying says that "Clothes makes the man", then the handbag does the same for the lady. Going back many years, women have carried a bag with them everywhere they go because they are so useful for carrying the many items we simply cannot do without. So, we carry our lives in our bags and the bag we choose says a lot about the person we are. Many women will coordinate their bags to match with every pair of shoes and every outfit. Very commonly in the South and if you have ever watched "What not to Wear," you will have learned that this coordination is not really necessary. Your handbag and your shoes can complement one another without always being the same color. A handbag should always fit your lifestyle and your personality and the huge number of choices for purses makes choosing the best one difficult but very important. Choose it well and everyone will know who you are simply by looking at the handbag you carry.

You may recall that in the movie Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lector told Clarice that she wore nice shoes but had a cheap bag. What he was telling her was that she hadn't left her country roots far enough behind. No doubt after Hannibal left, she bought herself a better handbag.

I've loved handbags since I was a little girl and I remember my mother's favorite handbag. It was a burgundy leather Etienne Aigner. I used to love the feel of the the soft supple leather and the smell of the leathery aroma. I dreamed that one day I'd have a handbag just like that!

Well, not only did I get a bag like that, but I eventually acquired quite a collection of handbags. Handbags can be so much more than places to stash your stuff. The right purse can be a fashion accessory, exactly chosen to match what you're wearing and with so many affordable purses out there, a girl can have one for every outfit! At the other end of the spectrum, there are handbags by makers like Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton that are so expensive, they're practically heirlooms and you may melt your credit card buying them.. Some fortunate celebrities get to have closets full of these super pricey bags for free, but the rest of us have to make do with replicas and more moderately priced purses!

There is a handbag for every situation, occasion in many different styles. You can go casual with a medium sized denim purse or try a canvas bag for that sporty look. There are the big purses for people who carry everything except the kitchen sink as well as tiny ones. These mini purses don't weigh you down and are big enough to carry your money, keys and perhaps a tube of lipstick but not much else.

That's great if you are a minimalists, but I've always preferred handbags that were spacious. I like all the zippered compartments where I can hide items like my housekeys and cash. The strap length is another matter of personal choice. I prefer a long strap that I can throw over my shoulder, you may like a shorter strap or even a clutch purse. No matter what your personal syle or preference, there's a handbag out there that will match you and your needs!

Novelty handbags are something that have caught my attention recently and to my Aigner carrying mother's dismay, I came home from the mall one day with a sweet pink purse shaped like a woman's bustier, complete with all the lacing and frilly adornment. However, after my husband also expressed his immense dislike of this purse, I found it a home in my closet. I do look at it sometimes, but I haven't carried it in public yet. My handbag of choice? What else but an Etienne Aigner!

Handbag and Purse News:

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