Handbag

Model at New York Fashion Week showing a Louis Vuitton handbag.

A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, contraceptives, mobile phone etc.

"Purse" or "Handbag"?

The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In British English, it is still used to refer to a small coin bag. A "handbag" / handbags is a larger accessory, that holds items beyond currency, such as cosmetics, keys, a hairbrush, feminine products and so on. American English typically uses the terms "purse" and "handbag" interchangeably. The term "handbag" began appearing in the early 1900s. Initially, it was most often used to refer to men's hand-luggage. Women's accessory bags grew larger and more complex during that period, and the term was attached to the women's accessory.

Modern origin

Women's fashion from 1830, including a reticule handbag from France.

Early modern Europeans wore purses for one purpose, to carry coins. Purses were made of soft fabric or leather, and were worn by men as often as ladies; the Scottish sporran is a survival of this custom. By the late 18th century, fashions in Europe were moving towards a slender shape, inspired by the silhouettes of Ancient Greece and Rome. Women wanted purses that would not be bulky or untidy in appearance, so reticules were designed. Reticules were made of fine fabrics like silk and velvet, with wrist straps. Originally popular in France, they crossed over into Britain, where they became known as "indispensables". Men, however, did not adopt the trend. They used purses and pockets, which became popular in men's trousers.

The modern purse or handbag came about in England during the Industrial Revoluion and the increase in travel by railway. In 1841 the industrialist and confectionery entrepreneur Samuel Parkinson of butterscotch fame ordered a set of travelling cases and trunks and insisted on a travelling case or bag for his wife's particulars. Parkinson had noticed his wife's purse was too small and made from material that would not withstand the journey. He stipulated that he wanted various hand bags for his wife, varying in size for occasions and for them to be made from the same leather as being used for his cases and trunks; this would distinguish them from the then-familiar carpetbag and other travelers' cloth bags used by members of other social classes. H. J. Cave (London) obliged and produced the first modern set of handbags, as we would recognise them including a clutch and a tote (named as 'ladies travelling case'). These are now on display in the handbag museum in Amsterdam. H. J. Cave did continue to sell and advertise the handbags but many critics said that women did not need them and a bags of such size and heavy material would 'break the backs of ladies'. H. J. Cave ceased to advertise the bags from 1865 and concentrated on trunks, though they still make the odd handbag for Royalty. However, his design lives on and the use of leather has not been found to break many ladies backs.^{[citation needed]}

20th century

During the 1940s, the rationing of textiles for World War II led to the manufacturing of handbags made of materials like raffia, or crocheted from yarn. Some women crocheted their own small handbags from commercial patterns during the 1940s.

Men's bags

A man with a recent Brooks designer messenger bag.

A casual men's messenger bag.

Men once carried coin purses, and the oldest known purse dates back more than 5000 years, and was worn by a man, Ötzi the Iceman. In early Modern Europe, when women's fashions moved in the direction of using small ornamental purses -- which evolved into handbags -- men's fashions were moving in another direction. Men's trousers replaced men's breeches during the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, and pockets were incorporated in the loose, heavy material. This enabled men to continue carrying coins, and then paper currency, in small leather wallets. Men's pockets were plentiful in 19th century and 20th century trousers and coats, to carry an ever-increasing number of possessions, such as pipes, matches, pocketknives, and so on, and they were an item frequently mended by their wives. Women, on the other hand, have shown a strong demand for larger handbags that carry more items for everyday use.

Men's purse was revived by designers in the 1970s in Europe. Since the 1990s, designers have marketed a more diverse range of accessory bags for men. The designs are typically variations on backpacks or messenger bags, and have either a masculine or a more unisex appearance, although they are often more streamlined than a backpack, and less bulky than a briefcase. These bags are often called messenger bags or organizer bags. Demand is strong after several years of popularity, possibly supported by the growing range of modern electronic devices men carry with them. Men's designer bags are produced by well-known companies such as Prada and Bottega Veneta in a variety of shapes and sizes. The global men's bag and small leather goods trade is a $4 Billion a year industry.

Luxury handbags

A number of European manufacturers have long histories of producing leather goods. For some companies, such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, handbags were introduced to their product range relatively recently in their history but for others like H.J. Cave & Sons, they have been around almost as long as the company. Nonetheless, handbags are among their best-known products, and their logos are recognized in many countries today. The most expensive of the luxury handbags are made by Hermès. Prices start at $6000; handbags are made to order, and the waiting lists are years long. Hermès handbag designs carry the names of actresses, socialites, and other celebrities who were frequently photographed with a particular handbag, most notably the "Birkin" bag named after Jane Birkin, and the "Kelly" bag named after Grace Kelly.

Other designers have adopted the practise of naming their handbag designs after celebrities, for example Marc Jacobs, who created the "Stam" purse, named after model Jessica Stam.

Types of handbags

An 1875 Chatelaine bag, with a buckram frame and velvet body. It would have been "hooked" into the waist of the skirt.

Crocodile skin handbags in a conservation exhibit at Bristol Zoo, England

As a fashion accessory, handbags can be categorized according to the silhouette of the bag, as well as the type of handle. The current popular handbag silhouettes are (as of 2011):

• Baguette - a small, narrow, rectangular shape purse, resembling a French loaf of bread (baguette)
• Barrel - shaped like a barrel or closed tube, usually with shoulder-length straps
• Bowling bag purse - a popular 1990s "retro" style for younger women, modelled after American bags used to carry bowling balls
• Bucket bag - shaped like a bucket, medium-size or large, with shoulder straps and a drawstring closure
• Clutch - a handbag without handles, rectangular in shape, often an evening bag but used during the day as well
• Doctor's bag - modelled after a Victorian era doctor's bag for making housecalls
• Drawstring - a purse that closes with a drawstring at the top, may have wrist- or shoulder-length straps, popular as an evening bag style
• Half-moon - shaped as a half-moon
• Hobo - medium-size crescent-shaped bag with a top zipper and often a slouch or dip in the centre; a modern, casual silhouette
• Lighted - a handbag with a lighting system which has been attempted since the 1950s without success until recently when in 2011 the first successful lighted handbag was brought to market.
• Messenger bag - one long strap worn across the body, inspired by bags worn by urban messengers to deliver business mail, a modern silhouette
• Minaudière - a small rectangular evening bag, usually hard-bodied, sometimes held inside a soft fabric bag that serves as a sleeve
• Muff - a winter bag made of real or faux fur, wool or velvet that has zippered compartments and a slip opening for hands
• Pocketbook - small purse, rectangular shape
• Saddle purse - shaped like a horse saddle, may have equestrian motifs and hardware to emphasize the design
• Satchel - a soft-sided case usually of leather
• Tote - medium to large bag with two straps and an open top
• Trapezoid - shaped as a trapezoid, usually made of stiff material

Gallery of fashion handbag silhouettes

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  A "saddle" shape, with equestrian hardware detail.

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  A tote, in this example the "Birkin" bag by Hermès.

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  A bucket bag with a drawstring closure.

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  A hobo bag with a top zipper, shoulder strap, and characteristic slouch in the middle.

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  A satchel, with a flat bottom on which the handbag can sit.

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  A vintage clutch with a fold-over closure, made of red snakeskin.

According to type of handle, handbags are often categorized as:

• Tote - a medium to large bag with two straps and an open top
• Cross-body - one long strap that crosses over the body, with the bag resting at the front by the waist
• Sling bag - one long, wide strap that crosses over the body, with the bag resting on the back
• Shoulder bag - any bag with shoulder-length straps
• Clutch - handleless

Handbags that are designed for specific utilitarian needs include:

• Laptop purse - a medium to large bag that contains a padded interior compartment or sleeve for protecting a laptop computer
• Camera bag - for carrying photography equipment
• Cosmetic bags - small bags for holding cosmetics, often made of synthetic protective material
• Duffle bag - a large bag usually used for travel or sports gear, sometimes called a "weekend bag"
• Security bag - protects the carrier from travel theft and includes an invisible stainless steel strap sewn into the fabric and a protectant on the main zipper.

Hardware

A distinction can also be made between soft-body handbags or frame handbags, where a metal frame supports the textile or leather of the bag. Frame bags often use a kissing lock closure, with two interlocking metal beads set on the top of the frame. Kissing locks were popular on handbags during the early- to mid-20th century, and remain popular with vintage collectors and in "retro" designs.

Diamanté clasps were in use by the 1930s. In later decades, designers found popular success with zipper enclosures, flaps, and even magnetic clasps hidden in the fabric of handbags.

History worldwide

Gallery of traditional handbag types

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  A bilum bag, used in Papua New Guinea. Bilums are made of "bush rope", cuscus fur or wool, and expand in size.

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  A shoulder bag made of baobab tree fibres, bought in Zimbabwe in 1995.

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  Ojibwa bag with decorative beadword; this particular bag was probably made for a child.

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  Early 20th century Yoruba Diviner's bag, from the Oyo region, Nigeria.

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  A Burmese Kachin bag or wallet. A Figure from the booklet Burmese Textiles, published in 1917 by Laura E. Start.

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  A Scandinavian Sámi purse (handbag) with shoulder strap.

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  A Betel bag from West Timor, made around 1921. Called an aluk, such bags are still made.

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  A modern handbag in a traditional Hakka Chinese-style floral fabric design.

See also

• Purse hook
• Purse organizer
• Purse party

Further reading

• Pedersen, Stephanie (2006). Handbags – What Every Woman Should Know. Cincinnati: David & Charles. pp. 128 pages. ISBN 978-0-7153-295-0.