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Handbags (Purses?)

24 Posts
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Posts: 822
Lady
Topic starter
(@dazzler)
Noble Member     Cardiff, South Glamorgan, United Kingdom
Joined: 4 years ago

For many years, I never owned a handbag (I think our American friends call them purses. In the UK a purse is something we put our money in, and then put that in our handbag). A year or so ago, when I started to venture out more, I bought a small black patent handbag to put my phone and keys in. My wife has many handbags, and I couldn't understand why. Why would you need more than one handbag? 

We had a party to go to, and I was going to wear a black and white dress. The morning of the party, my wife and I were in town and I saw a bag that would match with the dress. My wife suggested that I buy it. I did, and it did go very well with the dress that I wore to the party. So much so that a few of my friends commented on it. This started something...... I now have SEVEN hand bags. Every one bought for a reason. Some match outfits. Some are a bit whacky. Some are functional.... The only rule that I have is that I have to be able to put my phone in it. If my phone won't fit, I won't buy it. My usual, every day bag has an internal zipped pocket inside that holds a small can of hairspray, A small perfume spray, a hairbrush, a spare lipstick and a spare mascara. The main pocket holds a foldable umbrella, tissues, my purse, my phone, car keys and house keys. I have a couple of everyday bags. The others are occasion and "match the outift" bags... 

I have gone from not needing a bag, to having seven. These days, Cerys never goes anywhere without a bag. One of my coats (That's another post, as I've gone from 1 coat to many) has many pockets. More than enough to hold all I need. I still take a bag. My wife now complains that I have more bags than she does, and she wonders why I need so many!!!! 🙂 TBF, she often encourages me to buy a bag. She will see one and suggest I buy it to go with an outfit. All but two of my bags come from charity shops. None are designer. My wife has a thing for Radley bags. Thankfully my desires are not so expensive 🙂

I n male mode. Everything goes in pockets. If I can't fit it in a pocket, I leave it at home. The lack or rarity of pockets in female clothing make bags essential, but A few years ago, I could never see my having/needing/wanting. more than one bag. 

Does anyone else have a collection of things that they never thought they would own?

 

Cerys

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5 Replies
Ambassador
(@jacquelinelarkspur)
Joined: 1 year ago

Famed Member     Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Posts: 1497

@dazzler 

I have just the one handbag, but that's purely because I have a very limited space in which to store all the femme stuff I own. If space was no problem, I'm pretty sure I'd have several handbags, too. And several pairs of shoes. And so on!

The main rule about handbags is, whatever you want to take out will be right at the bottom.

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Ambassador
(@lucyb112)
Joined: 2 years ago

Noble Member     Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 1004

@jacquelinelarkspur Oh that is so true.

I have a small handbag that I keep on my desk while working.

I keep a scrunchie in it for when I want to tie my wig back. I put it back in the top of the bag, and every time I need it, it’s somehow found its way to the bottom. One of life’s mysteries 

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Managing Ambassador
(@lizk)
Joined: 5 years ago

Illustrious Member     North County San Diego, California, United States of America
Posts: 3845

@dazzler 

I have a few bags....I think.  I don't know the exact number.  They don't get much use.

I'm a minimalist.  Cards, cash, ID, phone, sunglasses, and lipstick is all I usually carry.  Most of my jeans have pockets big enough for that.  On the occasions when I do need a little extra, my favorite 'bag' isn't even.  It's a really cute leather festival belt.  It has pockets big enough for all the essentials.  

I have 1-2 bigger bags for events where I need to carry more stuff.  They're both black holes that drive me crazy!

/EA

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Lady
(@jillleanne)
Joined: 2 years ago

Prominent Member     Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 594

@dazzler I love handbags. Currently have about 12. Oddly enough, I just bought a new one last week at Michael Kors. My wife got one too with the matching purse. Are you sitting down? Call me crazy but we had a crazy moment. They were both priced at just under $ 800.00 US each. I know right? We got them 80% off! So we only paid $ 140.00 US each.  Of course I had to get a pair of matching shoes to strut in. Lol oh when will this shopping disease end? Lol

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Duchess
(@alison-anderson)
Joined: 6 years ago

Noble Member     Middlesex county, New Jersey, United States of America
Posts: 1742

@dazzler I pretty much have one go-to black bag. I have a light grey one I may use in the summer. Although I have a few other small ones, I don't often use them. Some of the smaller clutches are nice, but weren't designed for today's phones, an essential these days.

My mom had a whole collection of bags. I looked through many of them, and they were either old (handles taped or cracking), or didn't have a good place for a phone.

I have a couple of fanny packs (one black, one ecru) that I use when out walking in warmer weather. Usually this holds my keys and phone. Last week I needed to get a CT scan after work. If I wore jeans, I would have to change into a gown because the metal zipper wouldn't be good for the X-rays. So I went to work in male mode with leggings. Because leggings have no pockets, I put in my driver's license, a credit and debit card, my medical insurance card, some cash, keys, and my phones (work and personal) into a fanny pack and tucked it under my shirt. Now I could quickly take off the fanny pack for the CT scan while still being able to carry necessary stuff during the day.

 

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Posts: 935
Guest
(@Anonymous 47410)
Prominent Member
Joined: 6 years ago

Good topic!

My wife calls them a purse.  I used to call them a pocketbook but now call them purses too.  Some people call them handbags. 

I own about 25 various purses and love matching them up with whatever outfit I am wearing and what mood I am in for the day.  I don't own anything expensive and virtually all my purses are from Goodwill. All purses at Goodwill, at least in the Atlanta area, cost five dollars.  GW does a great job of fumigating the purses prior to putting them out on the sales floor, and I use some Lysol or something similar before I use the purse. 

Purses, IMHO, are just another fun female item that make us look effeminate, as well as ease the burden of carrying all those extra female items. 

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Posts: 1114
Duchess Annual
(@firefly)
Noble Member     Panama, Panama, Panama
Joined: 7 years ago

It reminds me I need to buy one. I never have owned a hangbag or purse. 

Gisela

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Posts: 879
Lady
(@mary)
Noble Member     Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Joined: 4 years ago

In Australia we have a purse that fits into the bag. Along with everything else. 

To complicate things you can have a smaller bag that has a shoulder sling, that is technically small enough to be a large purse. I have one of these, that I use as an ammo pouch when out hunting. Its large enough to carry spare ammo, some food items, phone, first aid items and a pocket knife. 

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Posts: 1004
Ambassador
(@lucyb112)
Noble Member     Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Joined: 2 years ago

I get what you mean about handbags Cerys.

I currently only have two, but that’s because one has recently gone to charity. The thing with them is I’m forever seeing ones that I like when I’m in shops and have to keep stopping myself from buying them. 

I quite regularly handbag watch when I’m sat in a coffee shop and feel as if I’m becoming a little obsessed.

It’s a similar thing with shoes. I don’t have nearly as many as some on here, but this weekend I’m out to a 50th birthday event in boy mode and I’ve just realised I’m probably going to have to turn up in walking shoes as I no longer have any “going out” shoes. Now if I was going as Lucy……….

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Posts: 2099
Hostess
(@cdsue)
Famed Member     Delaware, United States of America
Joined: 5 years ago

Cerys - 

What a fun topic. There are so many options to choose from to fit any occasion or outfit.

I have a bag that I carry on a daily basis when in drab. It is a bag made for men that I use to carry my phone, a notebook and an extra pad. It is because of needing pads that I started carrying it. All my other items (wallet, keys, money, extra batteries for my hearing aids) go in my pockets which can get rather bulky. I would love to carry a bigger bag (i.e. purse/handbag/pocketbook) to carry all my things in, I just need to find the right one. I do have a brown leather bag my wife got for herself but when it arrived she didn't like it so gave it to Suzanne. It is something I may have to experiment with at some point. 

I do love perusing the handbags in thrift stores and in the catalogs that come in the mail. It is easy to understand how women can  have so many bags - maybe one day I'll be able to have that problem. 

XOXO
Suzanne

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Posts: 3409
Hostess
(@ab123)
Illustrious Member     Surrey, United Kingdom
Joined: 5 years ago

What men need - Keys, mobile/cell, wallet and maybe a handkerchief. hence a pocket will do.

What Ladies need - Keys, mobile/cell, purse, handkerchief, makeup, nail files, Nail varnish, lip salve,folding shopping bag,spare hygiene products and possibly a few other miscellaneous items. Of course the size and style/brand of bag should match the occasion and outfit so spares needed just in case as is a 'spare' spare or just needed as it is a bargain or is just cute and 'must have'. So the reason why women have to have so many bags.

Of course there are occasions where a small shoulder bag is required and a larger tote bag taken along. An example would be for work so the larger bag may have umbrella, laptop and spare shoes to change from flats to heels. So another range of bags required.

Hope that explains things.

 

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Posts: 1447
(@finallyfiona)
    Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Joined: 1 year ago

I've promised myself a handbag once I finally make a proper expedition out dressed in public 🙂  A little encouragement never hurt!  All my denim clothes (jeans, a skirt and a dress) plus my coat and some other trousers have reasonable pockets, that will just have to do for the first time out though.

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2 Replies
Lady
(@jillleanne)
Joined: 2 years ago

Prominent Member     Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 594

@finallyfiona Fiona, you must get to the stores and pick out one that has a long strap for over the shoulder or criss cross over the body. Make sure the strap is detachable, that way you can carry it under the arm. Obviously, black is the go to color as it goes with anything. It should have a zipper closure for safety of your stuff. Think about what you want to carry at one time so you get one big enough but not too big. My hair brush is my biggest challenge so sometimes I just can’t take it. Now get shopping!

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(@finallyfiona)
Joined: 1 year ago

    Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 1447

@jillleanne Absolutely to all of those things.  I have what I hope will be the right one saved in Fiona's Amazon wish list, I'm just being very disciplined about keeping her end of the bargain 🙂

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Posts: 1047
Managing Ambassador
(@melodeescarlet)
Famed Member     DC/Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Joined: 2 years ago

A great topic! As noted by some US peeps, here 'purse' is the most common term, but pocketbook (a very New Englandy term, I think) and handbag are used and understood.

My very first outing was a Pride Parade and I had a quite cute (and possibly slightly racy) outfit and I didn't want to be carrying around a purse. So I instead got a cute little backpack.

When I started going out in more 'normal' situations I went to Nordstrom Rack and bought two clutches - one black, one red. I don't know why I decided on clutches, but I suppose I didn't want to a) be lugging around a big heavy bag; and b) wanted to keep a sort of 'dainty' look about it.

Since then I've acquired two more - one half black/half white purse (slightly larger), and one glittery clutch to go with my gown.

I will say, that I got a cute pair of overall shorts which has pockets galore and with that I don't use any clutch.

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Posts: 555
Lady
(@lisa55)
Prominent Member     Gloucester, Virginia, United States of America
Joined: 3 years ago

For me, I have always considered the name to be representative of the size and the amount in which the item can hold. Also what can fit inside the other. 

 Coin purse, wallet, clutch, purse, pocketbook, handbag, satchel and a backpack.

It all depends on what you are doing, what you need to bring and what you are wearing. Men carry a wallet and some even have a satchel, better known as a man bag. 
Any way that’s my take on it as an American, not that it matters. 

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Posts: 1784
Baroness Annual
(@d44)
Famed Member     New York, United States of America
Joined: 5 years ago

I always use a mid-size shoulder bag except when I'm going somewhere requiring a change of shoes which come along in an extra tote bag.

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Posts: 602
(@heels234)
Prominent Member     Mesa, Arizona, United States of America
Joined: 9 years ago

What a great and fun topic.I am looking at my rack of purses and I count 28 purses and every one has a different flavor,from sexy to fun to chic and very feminine.When I am out and about as Michelle,I will always have a purse with me.My Mother,who has long passed and knows all,if I left without my purse would say,"Michelle,go back and get your purse.I taught you better,now go get your purse."Yes Mom.hahaha  LOL.

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Posts: 1106
Lady
(@margprodue)
Noble Member     Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
Joined: 3 years ago

Hi Cerys,  For me, handbags are a cross between toolboxes and knapsacks.  They are functional but also represent you before you can even speak.  I have 10 but really use only about 2 daily (Coach 9525 Leather Stewardess Bags).  Thanks for this fun post.  Marg

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Posts: 67
Lady
(@audreyw)
Estimable Member     Savana, Georgia, United States of America
Joined: 2 years ago

What a great topic. I only underdress outside the home but I've been carrying a handbag for years.  At first, I was a bit self conscious but really very few if any one takes a second look.  I would suspect since most of the time I'm with my wife, people incorrectly assume I'm a thoughtful husband carrying her bag for her.

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Posts: 186
Lady
(@erikabell)
Reputable Member     Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Joined: 3 years ago

This is such a timely topic for me as I have been on the hunt for a red purse for about a month.  Poshmark, Amazon, and various websites just were not making the cut in price or look.  However, that changed yesterday when I found an amazingly eccentric antique/thrift store.  Since I was looking for specific things I didnt do a deep dive into all of the cool things that were there.  Even then it took me over an hour just to make it through all of the sections.  But alas I found my cute new red purse which now completes my list of items needed for Keystone. Yay!

With that purchase I now have one silver sparkly clutch, a black crossbody flap purse with silver accents, a green drop hip bag, and the red flap purse.  Yay! Next one will be something that will go with multiple outfits and more practical. 

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