A Brown girl’s guide to Handbags

Life without handbags are now not just unimaginable but accesorisation without them is almost inevitable. Be it women running to office with their tote bags filled with more than extra commodities or clutch bags overflowing with cards and cash. Handbags are coming in quite Handy, no pun intended ; )
The world of handbags, as I call it is quite fascinating and extravagantly huge. Men with their barrel bags for gyms to women owning their Hobo bags, they’re everywhere! and they’ve transcended the boundaries of femininity attached to them, and as Joey would call it “They’re Unisex! “.

Different types of handbags:
With varying options available in handbags , familiarising oneself with different types of handbags, each existing for a specific purpose and occasion, becomes a requisite.

– Handheld bags :
Micro and Mini bags :
Ritika saluja, a fashion designer notes , ‘Micro bags are epitome of fashion’s “Less is more” philosophy. This tiny fashion accessory is small enough to fit in your palm, but big enough to make style-statement.’ These minimalist-look serving accessory with miniscule labels on top are not for utility purpose rather carry extremely essential items like cards, phone, not to forget lipsticks. Note it people, Micro and Mini bags is the new Black!

Clutches and wallets
These Handheld bags are perfect for carrying your daily essential such as phones, wallets, cards, keys, etc. Suitable for parties and evening events, they are quite fashionable and come in exquisite materials such as leather, satin and even velvet.

– Shoulder bags:

Slings and satchels
Sling bags smaller in size compared to totes and offer enough space to carry essentials, with an adjustable strap attached, it is easily carried over the shoulder. Whereas satchels are smaller than shoulder bags and have shorter strap or handles. Both of it can be used for everyday work.

Tote and messanger bags
Tote bags are smaller in comparison to messanger bags and usually have single compartment with few side pockets, used to carry essentials without it feeling too bulky, these can be used for beaches or carrying your child’s essentials too. Messanger bags on the other hand are larger and used to carry heavier stuff like laptop, books and other essentials, wore over shoulder or across body, it can comfortably carry loads of goods.

Duffel bags and backpacks
Used to carry travel clothes and essentials, duffel bags are a perfect choice, also used for gym visits, these bags are durable and popular for these specific purpose. Backpacks worn over back and shoulder are used to carry heavy loads such as school textbooks, laptops, or adventurous commodities on a trek, etc.

It can hence be concluded on a point that there are endless options for the handbags, each fitted for its own specific purpose and occasion. This blog eases the job for you in choosing your requirement of handbag with its listed guideline and content.

Lost in the world of Gucci, Prada and coco channel bags, Handbags have been reduced to merely a class statement for many. It, hence, becomes extremely important to dive into the rich cultural history of emergence of handbags in Indian subcontinent and how it paved way from household and individual essential to a fashion accessory.
Today, India is witnessing re-emergence of Potli bags in recent trends, finding mentions in Vedic period book of Ayurveda in ancient history for carrying important herbs and coins. These were generally made using cotton or jute fabrics but with the establishment of Mughal era, velvet and silk began to be used adding aesthetics with its craftsmanship and status to their wearers. In its rendition, Pootli bags have found wide acceptance in ethnic outfits accessorisation, bringing it back to Vogue due its unescapable allure.
At the same time Indians cannot help but compare these chic tote bags in fashion to our long run culture of using jhola bags for their huge spaces and comfort to carry them around, almost anywhere!
Today these bags may have become a style statement to carriers of political statement for political leaders but they may as well have found their inspiration in the jhola bags that indians have used for time Immemorable to carry loads of their household essentials and commodities with ease, comfort and a subtle charm of their simplicity. From the necessity these bags found their birth and have now become an integral part of our lives.
The trending leather bags today used to carry our personal belongings were once used to carry the most essential element of our lives i.e., the water. Possibility of carrying it to far away places was a task, Hence, the leather was skinned and turned into portable handbags called Mashak.
Famous legend of how it once saved Humayun to Bhai ghaniya ji serving water to thirsty selflessly using mashak take the value of handbags to far bigger and larger impact they’ve served and open our eyes to fact that Handbags are more than just mere fashion statements and that they can be used to bring social change and serve the cause of humanity too.