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

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#31
Such great posts!!!!! I just wanted also to mention that my husband's aunt who just passed away at the grand age of 96 was a total fashionista till the day that she died in her designer pjs and her Bottega Veneta bag at the side of her bed. To say that she was a handbag fanatic would be putting it mildly. I learned a lot about fashion from her in the almost 20 years that I knew her. Nothing about that woman was "old lady" in any sense of the word and nothing that she wore could be construed as "old lady" in my eyes. So, maybe when I actually think about it, she just might be the very reason that I can't nail down the perfect "old lady" bag. ......sits in rocker and reflects........
 
#32
papertiger said:
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 :D
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Gosh excellent post!!
So true, what value is there in saying something awful about someone else anyway?
 
#34
A few random, semi-related thoughts:

Webster once said "He who defines, wins".

One person says:"Old, moldy cheese" Another says "fine, well-aged cheese"
One says "lovely patina", another says "beat-up"
one says "dreadfully cloudy day" another says "look at the lovely chiaoscuro sky!"
one says "used-up has-been", another says "wonderful, wise mentor"
one says "fetus", another says "baby"
one says "freedom fighter", another says "terrorist"

I generally hate the PC-anal-obsessiveness we have created and now face, but I must say that words and labels DO matter. We think in words, and words have emotional impact. Will the world end because someone cries "Old lady bag!" at the sight of a kiss-lock satchel? Hardly. But it's important to realize the we all have the power to uplift someone or create an emotional obstacle for them.

In other cultures (I'm thinking of France) "a women of a certain age" are seen to have charms that a fresh-faced 19 year old could never hope to have. And the older women realize that their fresh-faced days are gone and they develop other parts of their 'look' and appeal. I'm not French, so I may have this totally wrong, but it's my impression that there,there is a respect for age and the experience it engenders.

America, since the 60's when the Boomers came on the scene, has been all about bright and shiny youth. However, the culture change that they brought about is now positioned to bite the Boomers in the butt. Now, it's their task to create some respect for the more mature person. They didn't stay young forever, after all.
 
#35
This entire thread just turned my head around.
Every single post made me thrilled to read about the past, present, and future of handbag and perfume associations.
My Dad told me not to buy Youth Dew in '76. It smelled like Grandma. And he meant it in the kindest way. The square, snap, black purses from the 50's used to scare me when I was a small girl. Now I'd give my arm for one of Grandma's bags.
 
#36
isabellam said:
A few random, semi-related thoughts:

Webster once said "He who defines, wins".

One person says:"Old, moldy cheese" Another says "fine, well-aged cheese"
One says "lovely patina", another says "beat-up"
one says "dreadfully cloudy day" another says "look at the lovely chiaoscuro sky!"
one says "used-up has-been", another says "wonderful, wise mentor"
one says "fetus", another says "baby"
one says "freedom fighter", another says "terrorist"

I generally hate the PC-anal-obsessiveness we have created and now face, but I must say that words and labels DO matter. We think in words, and words have emotional impact. Will the world end because someone cries "Old lady bag!" at the sight of a kiss-lock satchel? Hardly. But it's important to realize the we all have the power to uplift someone or create an emotional obstacle for them.

In other cultures (I'm thinking of France) "a women of a certain age" are seen to have charms that a fresh-faced 19 year old could never hope to have. And the older women realize that their fresh-faced days are gone and they develop other parts of their 'look' and appeal. I'm not French, so I may have this totally wrong, but it's my impression that there,there is a respect for age and the experience it engenders.

America, since the 60's when the Boomers came on the scene, has been all about bright and shiny youth. However, the culture change that they brought about is now positioned to bite the Boomers in the butt. Now, it's their task to create some respect for the more mature person. They didn't stay young forever, after all.
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Well observed isabellam :yes:
 
#38
Marc Jacobs has revived the framed handbags with top handles, kisslocks, etc.
My newest frame bag with top handle:
(and I am not old) :p
 

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#39
tiggycat, my Mother told me similar things too.
Plastic purple raincoats looked cheap and improper.
Dad said to be careful about the perfume I chose. "Pick something youthful and fresh. Nothing heavy or spicy."
I grew up thinking that anything purple was only worn or carried by streetwalkers.
I knew they wanted to instill good taste and meant well.
Now I carry screaming orange bags, and wear Opium even though it's considered an environmental hazard.
I can so relate to all your posts. I'm only a year or two older than you.
 
#41
nascar, my tongue is hanging out over those studded kiss locks.
Now I have to spend my entire day digging through my closet to find a bag to amuse myself. I still have a few put aside that are still unused/unworn. Hopefully I will come up with something to scratch the itch.
 
#42
I think the lines of what is old and new have been blurred because women and men seem to be mixing modern and vintage and casual and formal with their clothes and accessories. It's exciting to see these new takes and I appreciate the notion of a bit of warmth or history in an outfit.

So my take: it's all about how one wears it.
 
#43
Old lady is a very subjective term but I do not think it is meant to offend the age of a person, women in their 50's can and do look young, old lady means not an age but a style. I have known women who looked really old lady when they were 18 and like I said some can look really young close to 60. I am in my mid thirties and tend to avoid bags I consider not old lady but I say bags for maybe over 40. I love some of the structured handheld bags but I think I will get them only when I am over 40. To me plain, very structured, handheld bags or bags with gold chains are typically a bit more oldish, not old lady necessary as they can be very stylish but still for an older generation. I agree with some of the above posts that Hermes and Chanel bags are such styles. But we each have different opinions on bags and other things in life as well.
 
#44
swags said:
I don't think they really exist anymore. When I was a kid in the 70s/80s there was a big distinction from mom's purse and grandma's bag. The generations had different ways of dressing but now I see less distinction. Even though some items are more teenager-ish and some dress is more for a professional. But it seems all ages enjoy jeans, uggs, tshirts, flip flops, sandals....
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I agree. I'd only use the term when I look at a bag and the only person I can envision carrying the bag, ever, is someone over 60. And I realize it's a big pejorative and will definitely come back to haunt me one day (as I tend to love most bags that are "old lady"-ish.

It's also not the best term because, as so many have pointed out, while certain bags might not go with everyone, most women of experience carry such a diverse line and collection of bags that a single type or look can't be labeled "for use by the advanced generations among us."

I'm kind of looking forward to it - I see a lot of bags that are STUNNING, but would look a bit pretentious and overly formal if I carried them now. They're bookmarked and the second I hit that 50-year-old birthday, I'm going to be toting them everywhere and they're going to look AMAZING on me!!!! :woohoo:
 
#45
DiorDeVille said:
I agree. I'd only use the term when I look at a bag and the only person I can envision carrying the bag, ever, is someone over 60...........
......the second I hit that 50-year-old birthday, I'm going to be toting them everywhere and they're going to look AMAZING on me!!!! :woohoo:
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You'll also start realizing that 60 is not old either..... age is relative.;)
 
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