Clutch, hobos, totes, Satchels bags or just plain handbag?

Many thanks for those of you who took time to tell me what handbag colours you fancy.

It was great to read that almost everybody is stuck on black and brown. However I would like to challenge you to get yourself a handbag in a colour whose name you don’t even know. That way you will get out of your comfort zone and begin to see a brighter side to yourself!!

I‘ll tell you what; I am so stuck up on the familiar that I have had the same hairstyle since I was thirteen. And I keep telling myself that on my birthday I have to get a new look. I have thought of all sorts of things from belly ring, nose ring, cut my hair to a bob, going bald, you name it including dropping to dress size 8- a miracle for sure!!  2 months ago I thought let me get practical in changing my look so I went and bought animal print accessories (yuck someone is thinking) and also some extra bright orange and green. Well it was a shocker to my eyes when I looked at myself in the mirror but it brought a massive change to ME. Basically what am trying to sell here is that, fake as this may sound bright colours really do something to women of colour! Try it and let me know what you think. Buy a shocking handbag when you next walk into a shop!!

Back to handbag sizes, am amazed at how big handbags are getting. Its progressive and shortly we will be carrying suitcases!! I like sizeable handbags and I will define sizeable for you. My handbag must be able to hold the following items and still have space to look neat: 2 phones, pocket tissue, lip balm, keys, wallet, coin bag, chewing gum, a pen, a mini-pad, pocket Bible, pocket perfume and a sanitary pad. Now that may sound like loads but if you check out yours I can bet you have 5 more items that I don't have!!! See I didn’t have a mirror, powder, comb ……… the list is endless.

One day my friend was rushing to catch the train and as she hopped in, her skirt tore from the back zip to the knee!!! Now don’t ask if it was tight coz I did not see it but, as a result of that experience she has this obsessive behaviour that her bag has to fit an extra skirt or trouser. She always has an extra skirt/ trouser in her handbag, that’s a massive handbag!!

I will start by describing the types of bags that am familiar with and you can tell me if I have left out any.

Clutches:  

Don’t we all love these tiny little things? They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are micro, they literally just hold a lipstick and a phone and they are full. Lately they have increased in size and it’s not hard to get one that’s got a small matching purse inside for make up. Clutches generally do not have handles and are meant to be handheld.

However some are coming with a chain that you can attach and detach as required. People tend to use clutches when going for a dinner party or an event where the card specifies a dress theme.

I have been thinking, why don’t people use clutches when going for example for your Saturday grocery shop? It is classy and if you are like me who goes shopping in a pair of jeans and flat shoes it will be that extra, that boosts your look. If you have a clutch that you save for dinner invitations that never seem to be coming, dust it off and use it more often. Use it even when meeting the gals for a simple fish and chips lunch, spice up your life!

Experiment: In your blue/ black jeans and blue/ black/ white t-shirt, tuck in your clutch bag (whatever the colour) and look in the mirror? What do you think?

Grab bag:     

         

Essentially this is just a clutch bag with a grab handle. Personally I would just call it a hobo bag but it’s called a grab bag and serves the same purpose as a clutch bag.

Its bigger than your typical clutch bag and is easier to carry around.As opposed to clutch bags which tend to come with quite a bit of flare and glitter most grab bags are fairly formal and conservative.

Hobo bags:

These are what you typically see with most ladies. They are the handbags that have handles that you hang over the shoulder. They vary in sizes but tend to be medium and used mainly by people who work in an environment where they don’t carry a lot of stuff e.g. in an office.

When most gals say they need a handbag what they are usually referring to is a hobo bag. Typically an average lady has about 3 hobo bags. They come in various materials that we shall discuss in the future.

Tote bags:

The name tote means, “to carry”. Totes are bags that are bigger than hobos and more often than not tend to have one compartment only. 


Most can fit an A4 book and files and are popular amongst students. Recently due to the campaign against use of plastic bags in supermarkets and retail outlets many are coming up with branded totes that can be reused severally by shoppers.

I do not find them appealing as handbags but are practical for such uses as shopping. Also if you get a leather one it can make a good ipad or laptop bag.

Satchel bags:




These are bags resembling briefcases but having a strap. A favourite of men, they can be hang on the shoulder so that it drops on the hips or strapped across the chest so that it hangs on the opposite hip. 
They come in various sizes and just like totes most can fit an A4 book and a lunch pack.

They are not restricted to men; ladies also tend to use them especially on a day out with children where a hobo would be restricting or to church where you throw in your Bible and notebook. 


The lady styles tend to be fabric as opposed to the men styles that are hard leather. Again there is nothing wrong with a lady buying a hard leather satchel bag. Am not too sure but I think this is what we used to refer to as messenger bag.

Briefcase bags

They are just as their name suggest briefcases but slightly customized to be ladylike as opposed to the imposing and plain type carried by men.

These are executive smart bags normally carried by ladies when going in for meetings or interviews. 

They can fit in a lot of stuff including an A4 sized book, a laptop etc. They come with a short handle but some include a longer strap to allow shoulder hanging. 

When going for an interview instead of carrying a hobo bag and a documents folder for your CV, a briefcase bag would give you the benefit of both.

Duffel bags:

This is one of the hardest bags to define because it has evolved over the years. It’s a bag made of fabric that can hold many things for example gym clothes and that it closed using drawstrings at the top. 


Recently the definition has been expanded to include what we would refer to as weekend bags, you know those bags that look like a large hobos. Many also use them as hand luggage on planes.

I do not think the list is exhaustive but I would like to believe that I have covered most handbag types. Please let me know if I have left out any and if this has been an interesting read for you.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.