If you’re like me, you own more than one purse. But, have you ever thought of why you needed a second, third-or tenth bag? If you take a look at your collection, I am going to bet that there are at least 3 different types of purses and handbags in your collection.
What are the different categories of purses?
So, what are the essential purses every woman should own? There are more than 3 types that make this basic list, but could be expanded further. For simplicity, I will focus on the 3 primary categories of handbags. Some are meant to be used every single day or almost every single day. Others, every once in a while, while others may only be used on very special occasions. Some of the bags can be placed in more than one category, depending on your needs and lifestyle.
Your Everyday Bag
For starters, a bucket bag, crossbody, hobo, tote, and shoulder bag top the list for everyday use. These are generally designed to go most places while providing convenient essentials such as your wallet, identification, and keys, along with any other extra items like a small hairbrush or some makeup. Backpacks can also fall into this category, especially for students or for those who like the convenience of having their hands completely free. For those who are parents, diaper bags cannot be forgotten! A bucket bag is one where the main body of the purse is open wide, like a bucket and is generally easily identifiable by having a drawstring closure. These can be ideal for carrying something bulky, or for somebody who wants to quickly access the contents of their bag. Crossbody purses are those who have a long strap and the purse is worn having the top of the strap on the opposite shoulder to where the main body of the purse is hanging, so as to completely be worn across the body. Hobo bags are seen as a very casual bag because of their shape. They are identifiable by having a “U” shaped main body along the closure of the purse. For many hobo purses, they are closed with a zipper, although some may also be closed with a snap or other closure. Totes and shoulder bags may look the same, but will have some minor differences in storage and function. A tote will be a purse that has 2 straps, wheras the shoulder bag will only have one. As far as storage goes, a tote will open much wider than a shoulder bag. Both may offer the similar features as far as storage for your smaller items such as your wallet.
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Your Sometimes Bag
The bags that fall into the “sometimes” category are, yes; backpacks and the crossbody again. Here’s why: these can be used for occasional outings, such as being on vacation, going to an amusement park, or an evening out with friends. These locations would be where the everyday purse may be too inconvenient because you may need both hands completely free or may be in a very crowded location where having a handbag not completely secured is a concern. Other bags that are typically used occasionally include (yes,) the fanny pack, an evening bag and even a wristlet. Aside from the backpack, not much can be stored compared to an everyday bag. At this point just the essentials like wallet, identification, and maybe some toiletries can be stored in a “sometimes” bag. The evening bag will be small, where your absolute essentials can be stored. These sometimes come with a strap, but this strap is longer than that of a wristlet. On the other hand, a wristlet is small, like an evening bag, but has a small strap to be carried around on the wrist.
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A Special Night Calls for A Special Bag
Finally, a special occasion like a wedding; for instance, requires a special purse. So, what makes a special occasion purse sooo special? Many times these purses are jeweled, beaded, quite ornate, may not be typical in material like most other purses or may appear to be more fragile and smaller than the everyday or sometimes bags. Special occasion purses include purses such as a an evening bag, chain bag, a mini bag, a micro bag, minaudere, evening bag, and envelope bag all fit this description. With these bags, you’ll only able to store nothing more than the absolute essentials such as your money, your identification, lipstick, a drink, and maybe your keys. A chain bag is self-explanatory: a bag with a chain for the strap. These purses are generally small in size. Both mini bags and micro bags are used to describe their overall size: the mini is small and the micro is even smaller than the mini bag. The minaudere purse sometimes is not seen as a purse, rather a piece of jewelry, that just so happens to carry makeup, keys, and money. Minauderes generally tend to have a harder surface than most other purses. Finally, an envelope bag is another clutch-style purse and has the same length and width of an envelope. The depth of the envelope purse will have enough depth to at least hold keys, lipstick, and other small items.
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Final thoughts
Depending on what your needs are in a bag, there is one suitable to fit your lifestyle or situation. As you can see, not all handbags are made alike, although many bags were quite similar in size. Also, not all large bags are meant for everyday use, just like not all small purses are meant to be strictly in the special occasion category. Some purses could easily fit into more than one category. It is possible that depending on the material of the bag, one purse would have the ability to fit into all three of these categories. There are no hard, inflexible rules when it comes to using purses as your accessory and method of storage when you’re on the go. This article can be used as a handy guide when purchasing your next handbag. You can now ask yourself: will I most likely use this bag everyday, from time to time, or just special occasions?