Isaac Cruikshank (1756–1811) - "Parisian Ladies in their Full Winter Dress for 1800", an over-the-top exaggerated satirical Nov. 24th 1799 caricature print by Isaac Cruikshank, on the excesses of the late-1790s Parisian high Greek look, and the too-diaphanous styles allegedly sometimes worn there.
Earlier in the year I heard about a book following the evolution and history of the handbag. I was intrigued. I was also never able to remember or find out what the name of the book was. Handbags, historically, are intriguing to me. Prior and into the 18th century, handbags were mostly satchels worn inside your clothing. They were akin to underwear. So purses and handbags of today, are a relatively new accessory.
In high school I was always drawn to more utilitarian purses or bags, and never wanted to stand out too much, teens are generally self conscious and I was no different. Looking back I could have made some much better handbag selections. In my second year of university I had a roommate who had a huge handbag selection, triggering me to realize that I too could rock multiple handbags, and they could look awesome too.
I only consciously started looking for the perfect handbag on later shopping excursions with Katie. And there were some beautiful handbags seen on those excursions… So, I find myself looking for a new bag, the search is on, and I am nothing if not discriminating. I actually expect this to take many months.
Do you settle for any handbag, or do you stick to your guns and wait until you find the perfect one? Do you change bags weekly, seasonally, or to go with your outfits?
Want to read more about handbags and how they are truly essential to our existence as women? Read Rebecca Willis’ article Applied Fashion: Handbags, Essentially.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
