What kind of woman.....

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#31
isabellam said:
What kind of woman carries a handheld bag? vs. What kind of woman carries a shoulder bag? vs. What kind of woman carries a cross-body?

Now, I know y'all have all kinds of bags and you don't want to be pigeonholed. (I carry both kinds too.) But think out loud with me here. If individual fashion choices make up the "words" of the style vocabulary that we choose to speak with, what does
'handheld' bag say, as opposed to what does 'shoulder' or "crossbody" bag say.

here's my take:

HANDHELD
pampered (can afford to have one hand out of commission - others will serve me)
ladylike (handhelds harken back to 40's, 50's bags)
prim
elegant

SHOULDER
I don't know what to say about this one except "Regular". This seems to be the most commonly carried bag type. In comparison to HANDHELD, shoulder seems more relaxed and approachable.

CROSSBODY
athletic
busy
trendy
functionality is important
a doer, not a spectator or taker
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Sounds about like how I view this. I'm never satisfied with my bags. I love the look of a satchel or handheld, but not sure I can master it. I'm not accustomed to carrying a bag on my arm. It's like I don't know where to put my hand!

A shoulder bag for me has to fit short under my arm because I don't like it swinging around.

Crossbody is not for me either... I don't like pulling it over my head.
 
#33
I think this speaks more to our own stereotypes than to how people actually are or even how they are perceived by others.

I adore clutches and satchels, but they are generally not convenient for me to use. I use clutches more often than hand-helds, and they are easier the more I use them.

Shoulder bags are definitely my go-to bags. At times when I want both hands free, they are the best option, and they seem to have the greatest selection.

Cross-body bags I am definitely biased against. My sister wears cross-body bags that are not at all proportional to her and they look frumpy. I have never been able to put on a cross-body bag and look in the mirror and not see "frumpy". Granted, there are people who wear them much better than I do, to be sure, but my bias against them really gives me a poison eye for how they look. Regardless of convenience, I cannot think of a situation where I would ever feel the need to wear a cross-body bag.
 
#36
Trudysmom said:
Thank you. :smile1:
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I do all three too.

To me, the perfect hand-held/crook-of-the-arm bag also has a crossbody option. My Saint Laurent Muse Two (nude) and Fendi Mini 2Jours (black) are two examples I use all the time. They seamlessly go from sleek/pampered to urban/functional. Never boring, frumpy or regular!

Shoulder bags are the easiest to carry, but also the hardest to make stylish IMHO. They can look boring and frumpy much more easily than a crossbody can. The best of them (e.g., my Celine Edge) are meant to be carried handheld or crook-of-the-arm, with the shoulder option being only the emergency backup option.

Crossbody, done right, conveys urban, cool and stylish. Handheld conveys pampered and beautiful. Shoulder, unfortunately, conveys regular, just as OP said. That's the last thing I want to be!
 
#39
serenityneow said:
I do all three too.

To me, the perfect hand-held/crook-of-the-arm bag also has a crossbody option. My Saint Laurent Muse Two (nude) and Fendi Mini 2Jours (black) are two examples I use all the time. They seamlessly go from sleek/pampered to urban/functional. Never boring, frumpy or regular!

Shoulder bags are the easiest to carry, but also the hardest to make stylish IMHO. They can look boring and frumpy much more easily than a crossbody can. The best of them (e.g., my Celine Edge) are meant to be carried handheld or crook-of-the-arm, with the shoulder option being only the emergency backup option.

Crossbody, done right, conveys urban, cool and stylish. Handheld conveys pampered and beautiful. Shoulder, unfortunately, conveys regular, just as OP said. That's the last thing I want to be!
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Totally agree with this. My examples are the Hermes Kelly with a canvas, cross- body strap and the Balenciaga Town. Also the Anya Hindmarch Ebury. You're right -- the bags go from sleek/polished to urban/functional in one step. All my satchel-type bags have a strap, either for cross-body or shoulder (if I'm really lucky, the strap adjusts so I get both options). I simply can't do a hand-held only bag. Functionally, I need my hands!

I love a good shoulder bag, but it is hard to find one that looks really stylish. It seems to me that a lot of the totes out there now have handles that are too short to comfortably wear over the shoulder.
 
#41
I am a shoulder bag girl all of the way. I have to be hands-free. I need BOTH of my hands to shop. LOL! They are just too high maintenance.
I have maybe three handheld bags. I don't use them but keep them for nostalgia's sake. I can't seem to give up my Luella Gisele bag. The most impractical bag on the planet.
I use shoulder bags in my everyday life, and I use crossbody bags at my kids' sporting events. I have a fear of my bags being stolen or falling on the ground between the bleachers. My most used ones are a really old Rebecca Minkoff, Michael Kors, B. Makowsy, vintage Coach, and vintage Dooney.
 
#43
I agree with the OP, perhaps original intent behind the design and function of the handheld, shoulder and crossbody style bags. Nowadays, when women who carry purses have so many different events, activities, obligations, etc. I think choice of purse hearkens back to the original intent of the bag. But rarely nowadays do you see women who carry only one type of bag. So when going on a date, if a woman carries a handheld bag, her intent goes back to the original idea of being proper and not necessarily in big need of using her hands. But it also doesn't mean she is only that, like a wealthy woman of years ago who may have never needed to go out without a handheld bag because of her lifestyle. It just means that for that night, that's her look. Tomorrow may bring something else.
 
#44
reginablair said:
i agree with the op, perhaps original intent behind the design and function of the handheld, shoulder and crossbody style bags. Nowadays, when women who carry purses have so many different events, activities, obligations, etc. I think choice of purse hearkens back to the original intent of the bag. But rarely nowadays do you see women who carry only one type of bag. So when going on a date, if a woman carries a handheld bag, her intent goes back to the original idea of being proper and not necessarily in big need of using her hands. But it also doesn't mean she is only that, like a wealthy woman of years ago who may have never needed to go out without a handheld bag because of her lifestyle. It just means that for that night, that's her look. Tomorrow may bring something else.
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+1
 
#45
I carry bags in all of those ways! I have to say, crossbodies are incredibly convenient, but they do look younger and more casual.

I'm just not into all the weird ways celebrities have been wearing their bags these days! But hey, celebrities pose in different ways for photo ops, so i guess that explains it!
 
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