Yeah...It's All Relative, But Just What Is An Old Lady Bag????

[Vintage Leather]

Handbagging the opposition. A discrete Ferragamo bag tucked in the arms of the (second?) most powerful woman in the UK was "old lady" for the decade - but doesn't it look like something Phoebe Philo would design?

I am obstinate in defending our liberties and our law. That is why I carry a big handbag.

 

[isabellam]

Someday in the future, tricked out Coach Poppy sequin bags, Birkins and Chloe Paddingtons will be seen as old lady bags. This is true simply because one day, the daughters of the women who carried these bags will rise up and declare themselves different (!!!) and choose something polar opposite. In turn, their daughters will call those bags nasty and outdated and 'old lady' and then spend a fortune on vintage Poppy bags, Birkins, and Paddingtons.

Pure lunacy, if you ask me. But whadda ya gonna do??

What really cracks me up is the thought that perfumes like Pink Sugar and Euphoria will one day waft through the halls of America's nursing homes. The young of today think that the only perfume that old people ever have worn and will ever wear are bunker-busting orientals and chypres like Mitsouko and Opium, or heady florals like Joy. Little do they realize that one day they will be old and their choices which are sooooooo hip today will one day be frowned upon by a new generation.

I think a little respect, all the way around, would do wonders. And taking the recommendations of The Fashion World with a large grain of salt. I think too many of us sacrifice truly personal style in favor of the look of the moment.

 

[Compass Rose]

Wow! What an interesting conglomeration of great thoughts and opinions on this subject! I especially like isabellam's take on the subject because it instantly brought to mind my grandmother's "Youth Dew" by Este Lauder. Even though I loved my grandmother so much, I just don't think I could wear that scent because it implied that it was an old lady scent to me. See....I can relate to the perfume aspect, but I just can't make myself believe that there are old lady bags out there. It's interesting......

 

[jroger1]

I am guilty of using the phrase "old lady bag", I guess by that I mean it's plain & usually squared off in shape. Just an image in my mind. We'll all be old ladies some day!

 

[Grace123]

Maybe I AM an old lady but I loved and still love Youth Dew, Opium and all the classic scents that actually LAST on one and don't vanish in a nano second after application.

I also think a lot of people can't differentiate between classic and 'old,' which in a lot of cases are one and the same. To me, classics like the Birkin, the Coach Willis bag and Opium never ever go out of style, are not old but are the choice of those who want something that's timeless.

 

[BgaHolic]

The phrase is just awful, sexist and ageist and there is no excuse for ever using it in my opinion. When some one uses the phrase as in "is this too much of an 'old lady bag'?" they never mean in a good way. They could use the word 'stuffy' or 'conservative' just as easily. Old ladies are easy targets. I hear other phrases too like 'don't be such an 'old woman about it' meaning stop whining and so on.

It has nothing to do with reality, total cliché with no basis in fact. My mother has never liked framed bags wears bags that are bright, glamorous and casual whereas I love a smart vintage framed bag.

Young women using that phrase should watch out as one day it's going to come back and haunt them

I totally love ya PT! Compass, you are one classy lady! IMHO, perhaps in the 60's bags were categorized as "old lady". We are now in the 21st century and everything goes. I mean everything!! Living in NY, I've seen it all and have to tell you, I love it! I think it's all in the way a woman carries herself and feels. If a well coiffed 19 year old woman is standing tall wearing the newest CD, Hermes or Celine bag, I won't think twice. Perhaps if that same 19 year old, 25 years ago, was wearing that syle bag, she might have been looked at with disdain, ie., "how dare a young woman wear such a matronly bag!". Today, I don't see any laws. I do agree that Juicy handbags look better on a younger woman (17 - 35) and more appropriately suited for a younger woman, however, there is no law that a woman 50+ can't rock it!

Rock in your chair, have your hair knotted in a bun, knit 'til your heart desires 'cause you rock at any age wearing any kind of bag your heart desires!!!!!!!!

 

[swezfamily]

I love Ferragamo bags, but I've heard them referred to as "old lady bags".

 

[jellyv]

Some young folks I know think of an "old lady" bag style as:

black, navy, or dark brown smooth leather, square or rectangle in shape, with a single top handle, structured, and with minimal visible hardware. Basically, all the Kelly-style bags you find in vintage shops.

 

[justwatchin]

Bags that have a kisslock closure make me think of old lady bags

 

[BgaHolic]

Bags that have a kisslock closure make me think of old lady bags

I like those!

 

[Mimster]

Someday in the future, tricked out Coach Poppy sequin bags, Birkins and Chloe Paddingtons will be seen as old lady bags. This is true simply because one day, the daughters of the women who carried these bags will rise up and declare themselves different (!!!) and choose something polar opposite. In turn, their daughters will call those bags nasty and outdated and 'old lady' and then spend a fortune on vintage Poppy bags, Birkins, and Paddingtons.

Pure lunacy, if you ask me. But whadda ya gonna do??

What really cracks me up is the thought that perfumes like Pink Sugar and Euphoria will one day waft through the halls of America's nursing homes. The young of today think that the only perfume that old people ever have worn and will ever wear are bunker-busting orientals and chypres like Mitsouko and Opium, or heady florals like Joy. Little do they realize that one day they will be old and their choices which are sooooooo hip today will one day be frowned upon by a new generation.

I think a little respect, all the way around, would do wonders. And taking the recommendations of The Fashion World with a large grain of salt. I think too many of us sacrifice truly personal style in favor of the look of the moment.

Great post! I especially agree with the bolded part.

 

[viciel]

I'm personally not offended by the phrase, I mean, let's call a spade a spade. I see bags written up as too 'teenager' 'teeny popper' etc all the time. Why does everything have to be so PC these days.

And ditto to the kiss lock, though I've seen some change pouch with kiss lock that I'm tempted to get, ha!

 

[redskater]

so just what age is considered "old" is it 40's, 50's, 60's etc?????? trust me the older you get the age you consider old goes up! I used to think 50's was soooo old, ha, now it's just middle age to me. If you see young actresses or models carrying "kisslock" all of a sudden is that now considered a "young" persons bag? It's all perspective! And why should any of us be forced into wearing something that others think is age appropriate?

 

[azureartist]

The phrase is just awful, sexist and ageist and there is no excuse for ever using it in my opinion. When some one uses the phrase as in "is this too much of an 'old lady bag'?" they never mean in a good way. They could use the word 'stuffy' or 'conservative' just as easily. Old ladies are easy targets. I hear other phrases too like 'don't be such an 'old woman about it' meaning stop whining and so on.

It has nothing to do with reality, total cliché with no basis in fact. My mother has never liked framed bags wears bags that are bright, glamorous and casual whereas I love a smart vintage framed bag.

Young women using that phrase should watch out as one day it's going to come back and haunt them

Great post Papertiger! I think there are better ways to say the same thing without offending. If we live long enough... we will be an "old lady" some day. Some sooner than later.

 

[tiggycat]

Perhaps if that same 19 year old, 25 years ago, was wearing that syle bag, she might have been looked at with disdain, ie., "how dare a young woman wear such a matronly bag!". Today, I don't see any laws.

I'm about the same age as the OP and I remember being told by my mother and grandmother that young (under 40-50) women shouldn't wear fur coats, more than a single strand of pearls, or 'big' diamonds because it looked tacky and possibly even like they were 'kept women'. Certain perfumes were also considered 'old lady' (lavender for one).

I used to love 'Heaven Scent' cologne which smelled like baby powder and wore it until I met DH (when I was around 40) even though I always thought it was intended to be a 12-14 year-old's first perfume. He hated it because it reminded him of old ladies! It went off the market right after than anyway so I don't know if he would have gotten to like it if I'd kept using it.