The Three Purses Every Woman Needs
I am over It Bags. This doesn’t mean I’m completely giving up my girly girl badge or *shudder * buying a man’s wallet to carry in the pocket of my skinny, dark wash jeans. Rather, I now know what I need a purse for, and it’s not making a statement.
It’s no secret that design houses now make most of their money from the sale of shoes and purses. After all, if a woman is going to plunk down several hundred dollars for a luxury good, buying an everyday leather purse seems more economical than buying a silk chiffon dress. But why buy high end in the first place? Most designer bags are obviously designer, so every fashionista knows how many zeros you put on that check. A leather hobo, however, is more utilitarian than artistic. I am left to conclude that It Bags are for women who want to be It Girls.
Me? I just want to carry my stuff without messing up my look. And in my post-graduate life, I’ve discovered I need three perfect bags.
The first bag is one women often spend gobs of money on, but should be the cheapest of the three: the evening bag. It doesn’t need to be leather because it won’t be heavily used. Detailed beading ups the price, but a good fabric can be just as pretty. Think about what you really need to carry with you on a night out or to a fancy wedding, and make sure the purse you buy can contain it all. I confess to having three evening purses, which were all gifts from friends. One is a white beaded vintage clutch with pink rose embroidery. The second is a chocolate brown satin bag. And the third is a pink, red and gold bag made from old kimonos.
Every woman needs a good sized tote for vacations. When I travel, I need a bag that can hold a bottle of water, a map, a cardigan, extra batteries (my camera’s a battery hog), and possibly sunscreen. A bag that’s large enough to carry all of that plus what I normally carry would drive me nuts if I had to dig through it every day, but it’s perfect for trips. I just bought a quality PVC bag for such a purpose, and I can use it as a computer bag for work!
Finally, every woman needs a good every day bag. This is where many women are getting caught up in the It Bag craze, but is the quality difference between a $250 bag and a $500 bag that great? You need a bag that will match your wardrobe and won’t break in a year. Get one that is large enough to hold everything you generally need during the day but is not so large that you’ll be tempted to put the kitchen sink in it. For years I carried a brown Coach bag, but in my post-backpack life, I need something larger. I want something sleek, simple and unlogoed. It must be leather, and I would prefer brown, black or burgundy. Have you seen this perfect purse?
Satin clutch Hollywould Mansfield $19.99 (Target) , canvas tote by Roxy $51.95 (zappos), leather shoulder bag by The Sak $162.95 (zappos)
It’s no secret that design houses now make most of their money from the sale of shoes and purses. After all, if a woman is going to plunk down several hundred dollars for a luxury good, buying an everyday leather purse seems more economical than buying a silk chiffon dress. But why buy high end in the first place? Most designer bags are obviously designer, so every fashionista knows how many zeros you put on that check. A leather hobo, however, is more utilitarian than artistic. I am left to conclude that It Bags are for women who want to be It Girls.
Me? I just want to carry my stuff without messing up my look. And in my post-graduate life, I’ve discovered I need three perfect bags.
The first bag is one women often spend gobs of money on, but should be the cheapest of the three: the evening bag. It doesn’t need to be leather because it won’t be heavily used. Detailed beading ups the price, but a good fabric can be just as pretty. Think about what you really need to carry with you on a night out or to a fancy wedding, and make sure the purse you buy can contain it all. I confess to having three evening purses, which were all gifts from friends. One is a white beaded vintage clutch with pink rose embroidery. The second is a chocolate brown satin bag. And the third is a pink, red and gold bag made from old kimonos.
Every woman needs a good sized tote for vacations. When I travel, I need a bag that can hold a bottle of water, a map, a cardigan, extra batteries (my camera’s a battery hog), and possibly sunscreen. A bag that’s large enough to carry all of that plus what I normally carry would drive me nuts if I had to dig through it every day, but it’s perfect for trips. I just bought a quality PVC bag for such a purpose, and I can use it as a computer bag for work!
Finally, every woman needs a good every day bag. This is where many women are getting caught up in the It Bag craze, but is the quality difference between a $250 bag and a $500 bag that great? You need a bag that will match your wardrobe and won’t break in a year. Get one that is large enough to hold everything you generally need during the day but is not so large that you’ll be tempted to put the kitchen sink in it. For years I carried a brown Coach bag, but in my post-backpack life, I need something larger. I want something sleek, simple and unlogoed. It must be leather, and I would prefer brown, black or burgundy. Have you seen this perfect purse?
Satin clutch Hollywould Mansfield $19.99 (Target) , canvas tote by Roxy $51.95 (zappos), leather shoulder bag by The Sak $162.95 (zappos)
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