It's In The Bag

You’ve heard the expression “it’s in the bag” before, I'm sure. And you fashion divas have probably wondered, well, what kind of bag? There’s so many! Well, not to refer to closing a deal, or landing a big account, but the saying says so much about fashion’s timeless must-have.

Accessory? Hardly. Sometimes the bag IS the outfit. What would heels and a mini be without a coordinating handbag? A total fashion tragedy. An outfit that missed the boat….ok you get it. The bag is everything! Now don’t get me wrong, the perfect shoe is essential too, but when you reach to pay for your caramel macchiato at Starbucks and grab your wallet out of a black leather purse with silver chain handles that you saved two paychecks for, you know all is right with the world.

Habit? I don’t think so. Have you ever had to go without a great bag for a certain amount of time? Say, traveling overseas and you don’t want to bring your best Chanel bag with you? Don’t you miss it? Don’t you grasp for it there on your shoulder and instead realize you brought a fill-in bag; that purse from high school, the one Aunt Marie got you from a garage sell? Just not the same. Carrying a great bag is not just habit-its self expression that I believe defines a lot about its “wearer.”

Culture? Inborn instinct, I say. Ok, so native tribes in Africa probably don’t use purses or tote handbags because they never have, and it could be pointed out that we Americans/Europeans carry them because we always have. But I beg to differ with society’s influence here. I believe that certain innate part of us women likes to be a walking statement-that is, dress how we want to express ourselves. If I had never seen a purse/bag/handbag before and suddenly beheld one in a store window-I would screech in utter delight at having found a fashion soul mate: a statement with utility, style, purpose, and function all neatly compacted into a shoulder bag, sling, wristlet, or handbag.

Definition of the divine bag is only surface-level in its power over us girls. Let’s admit how we treat this beloved possession. I bet you have a certain place in your closet just for your bags…a top shelf, bins along the bottom, each hung neatly on the wall, etc. Just like pots and pans have a place in the kitchen and are essential to cooking a meal-our bags are required to be cared for and in their place when called upon to complete an outfit, right? (Elementary comparisons such as this are always great to make to boyfriends, husbands, and anyone else who just can’t understand why you have so many! Bring up how many DVDs they have!) Each outfit calls for a certain corresponding element that is only fulfilled in the handbag.

And not that matchy-matchy is necessary, in fact just the opposite, but one part - the clothes, jewelry, shoes - all need to be set off by the bag. The bag is quite often the element that makes the ensemble “pop” and really work!

Okay, now you know where my heart truly lies; at the Macy’s sale rack getting three bags for the price of one! I need as many as I can get and they each become part of an experience or memory-I wore this bag on our first date, took that one to the beach with family, let Shirley borrow that one for the company ball, and the list goes on. What bag wouldn’t want to live in my closet!? Oh and I have so many more that I wish to extend the invitation to my wardrobe. If only they would go on sale or be less that $500…

So if a guy is reading over your shoulder they’d just never understand, and may even be a bit taken aback by our devotion to the bag. But there’s a reason why we start carrying tiny pink plastic purses as little girls, that only hold a Polly Pocket and a pretend lipstick-we know what looks good and we know the way to look good is having a bag you love, HAVE to have, and are proud to own!

A great bag on my arm - that’s all it takes to make my day.

~ Rebekah Lovell