Do You Know How Many Different Types Of Handbags There Are?

All handbags are not created equal, not even close! Just like automobiles and cowboy boots, some are classic, some are trendy, some are practical, and some are just simply arm candy. Check out this overview of handbags. Some of the most popular include:

Accordion: Made of two or three pouches side by side, fastened together by stitching, snaps or fasteners to allow expansion or contraction of the bag, according to its capacity.

Baguette: Long, small, narrow bag with a shoulder strap, carried under the arm.

Balantine: Made of leather, fabric or metal, suspended from a long cord. The Balantine swings back and forth at knee height as you walk. These are very popular at present.

Pompadour: Small velvet or lace pouches worn hanging from a cord used to carry small items, a notebook or money.

Pouchette: Also called a clutch, this is a small lady's bag without a handle or shoulder strap.

Reticule: Comprised of string, net or mesh. This bag once used for provisions or tools.

Rucksack/Backpack: Worn on the back, held in place by two buckled straps and closed by a drawstring sometimes concealed under a flap.

Bucket Bag: Usually known as the "carryall" bag. Sometimes closed by a flap with a loop to protect against prying eyes but usually open.

Purses are basically a large pouch, and have been used by man (and women, of course) for as long as we can remember. African priests carried beaded bags, which were used for carrying bones considered to be tokens of seduction. Peasants early on used bags to carry seeds.

In fashion, it's the little things that mean a lot. It is significant to you what goes into your bag. Which in turn become very personal, because it conceals a secret that gives you a sense of personal power. For a woman, the bag holds not only the things you need for your day but it is also your personal glamour shop, which is very important to your identity.

While the inside of a woman's bag is hypothetically personal and intimate, the outside is a commercial, selling one's place in the world. The handbag remains a desirable item, with must-have status.

The Handbag will continue to be invented and re-invented at the turn of every season. They will be done in terry cloth, tweed, with sequins on it, fabric appliques, jewels, clasps, leather, fur and other most recognizable elements. To many women, a bag is the entry-level item to the luxury market.

The handbag has become even more significant over the past two decades due to the fact that women do not wear as much fashion. In the 1940's you wore the total fashion look, now clothes are mixed and matched and handbags are part of the new freedom of fashion. It is a lot cheaper to pay for a small bag than an entire outfit.

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About the Author

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Designer Handbags and Purses at http://www.designer-handbags-plus.com