It’s in the bag!

They may not fit into the average male’s concept of a petite purse, but big, beautiful handbags are making more than a fashion statement today

BY SHERYL DIXIT

Okay, so the trend of the day for us women is to carry around something that looks like a small sack that Santa would lug in these thrifty days. And just like Santa, this tan receptacle (also available in green, purple and enticing shades of gold) is full of goodies. Like your designer sunglasses, which you refuse to stick into the pocket your slacks, for fear that it will mar the lines of the garment and make you look more daggy. And those wet wipes which you need after spilling dal on your T-shirt at a restaurant. Also your phone and car keys which you’ve forgotten on the table at the same restaurant, as you make a dash for the door before we decide on a second dessert.

Are the kids hungry? Snacks are available 24/7, along with drinks, bottles and assorted toys for keeping them busy when you’re trying to have a prolonged adult conversation with your boss whom you’ve bumped into at that very restaurant (isn’t it popular?). How often have you heard those words that save your psyche from an onslaught of juvenile tantrums which always happen in public: it’s in my bag! And as the moment passes, you breathe a sigh of relief.

So why, you may ask, would the young, trendy, upbeat and childless carry around those ungainly extravaganzas that are almost as large as themselves? Simply because you can conceal a whole wardrobe in them, which facilitates for a quick Cat Woman like change from professional to party animal on a Friday evening. And they can reach for anything, from that crucial bronze lip gloss to the handy contraceptive, simply by dipping into its mysterious depths. Handbags, like shoes, are an enigma for women and this current trend of voluptuous styling is available in Gucci, Prada, YSL, Bvlgari, Jimmy Choo…and they can’t be wrong, can they? Try fitting your universe in a little clutch bag and I’ll bet you’ll have a challenge on your hands.

And of course, there’s the Queen. Now Liz, as you familiarly call her, is a ‘little bag’ person, simply because she doesn’t ever need to hand Phil a tissue to rub that spot off his nose. Her corgis have their own entourage, so she doesn’t need to fit in a collapsible poop-scoop or doggiedoo plastic bags. But have you seen Margaret Thatcher in historic action with her bag, bopping a deserving journalist on the noggin? Or for that matter, Paris Hilton’s armwear? Everything’s in there, from six iPhones, three wallets full of credit cards, a three kg cosmetic clutch and her dog. That’s right, ‘big’ is the new ‘in’!

We women salute the gurus of style who decreed that handbags should be large and should actually serve a more domestic purpose than that of just looking good. They can be a weapon, a pillow, a bin and are a deterrent to pickpockets who will be unlikely to find your wallet among the rest of the debris.

So curb your secret envy that men are cursed with meagre accessories and leave us to our big, bulky, brawny, bold and beautiful bags!