When Bags Attack
I know, I know. I just bought a new Louis Vuitton bag. But I’m wondering if I’m missing out on a whole new season’s worth of super-sized bags. Not that the Vuitton is tiny by any means (it is rather flat though). It’s just that I’m the type of girl who likes to have all her stuff with her at all times. I think it started when I was a kid and my mother seemed to have just about everything I ever needed in her handbag: Kleenex, of course, and aspirin and cough drops, but also a nail file, nail clippers, gum, pens (and pencils) and a notepad, a tape measure, a Swiss Army knife, a deck of cards . . . you get the idea. And usually a snack too.
So I have the same primal need to carry a big bag. I just don’t have the frame for it. Did I mention the back pain I get when I carry a big bag? Or even just a stuffed medium-sized bag? Do you know how much junk you can squeeze into the small Celine Boogie bag? (I’m the sort of person who needs a cell phone and a BlackBerry and an actual leather-bound-paper diary. And no, I can never get them all synced up. The story of my life. . .) I carried said Boogie on the plane yesterday and I’m positive that’s what gave me the bad back, not the luggage that I had the nice porter transport for me.
That said, maybe I really do need the new B. Fendi Soft Leather Large Bag — yes, the large one that’s 18 in. by 11.5 in. by 5 in. I’m fairly certain two laptops would fit in there. Or maybe the Marc Jacobs Zipper Diane bag, which measures 15 in. by 11 in. by 4 in. Or the Tods Decoupage Shopping Media
bag (in the linen and green combo), which is a mere 14.5 in. by 7.25 in. by 5 in.
By comparison, my Vuitton Onatah pochette is 14.2 in. by 8.1 in. by .8 in.; like I said, flat. You really can’t fit a bottle of Calamine lotion in a bag that flat. (Seriously, you never know when you might come across some poison ivy.)
Of course, sites like net-a-porter provide a good reality check. Most of the bags can be seen on a mannequin, which I mentally reduce in height by about four inches, and then it’s perfectly clear just how similar to Mary-Kate Olsen I could look with a huge handbag — and honestly, do I really want that? Of course, I don’t have the other accoutrements of bag lady chic. Thank God I don’t have a gazillion dollars! Then I’d really look like a bag lady!
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March 8th, 2006 12:52
I am exactly the same way about my bags, and have the same issue with having a petite frame. I’ve tried repeatedly to switch to a smaller, more manageable size purse, but I just can’t do it. I need to have all of my stuff with me at all times, because you just never know! I started carrying a purse when I was in, like, second grade, and I always, always carted all of my toys around the house with me wherever I went. In short, I can totally relate to this entry.
March 8th, 2006 16:52
i am a big fan of over-sized bags, but purses is just as nice. If its one of thoese days you feel like carrying purses then do it, i mean why do you need all of those stuff, its not like you are gonna need it all at once. a cell, lipstick and a credit-card is all you need.
March 8th, 2006 19:34
I LOVE the Marc Jacobs one!
March 9th, 2006 12:55
Here is a tip in Lima, Perú, South America, you can find great handbags, 100% leather, sometimes with silver applications, original designs, I have been wearing this for many years: http://barrioperu.terra.com.pe/luz-hechoamano/contenido.html give it a try, and there not expensive, and great quality
March 10th, 2006 16:33
The Vuitton Onatah PM can actually fit much more than you would think. I was able to fit a wallet, phone, compact, lip gloss, and suglasses!