Just Bag It!
No other fashion accessory is so dear to a woman’s heart as her purse. And with so much stuff to lug around these days, more men are also beginning to sport totes.
By Linda Pliagas

A purse for a woman is what a tie is for a man, says Mario Hernández, a Colombian-based handbag designer who recently opened a new store in Boca Raton, Florida. A handbag and a tie supplement an outfit; they can either complement or destroy a look, he explains.

For a woman, a handbag is also a symbol of class. “A fine purse nowadays gives women a status among a circle of women or her friends. It could be that the outfits women wear are not very expensive, not from the most known brands; yet, today women invest more money in purses than before,” Hernández notes.

But women are not the only ones with straps on their
shoulders. With the advent of cellular phones, numeric pagers and digital organizers, more totes are being created for men.

“Technology and the fast-paced life have made goods adapt to modern life and lose their traditional gender of masculine or feminine. Both men and women use briefcases and bags,” Hernández says.

Another reason for the surge in male totes is the fact that clothes are becoming sleeker than ever, which makes it difficult for men to carry all their toys inside their pockets. “Sometimes you don’t want to carry a big briefcase around, but you have a few things you need to carry,” says fashion consultant Jill Bremer (www.bremercommunications.com). She adds that men have finally realized just how useful carrying a bag around can be.

One of the most popular style of totes for men are backpacks. With the increase of relaxed dress codes at many companies, briefcases are being replaced with backpacks. These new bags may seem carefree, but they maintain an allure of professionalism when the right material is chosen.

“Comparing a backpack to a briefcase, the backpack is more casual. Yet the fact that someone wears a leather backpack, he is instantly more elegant. Leather adds a magical elegance to articles that other materials can’t,” Hernández explains. Besides upgrading the look, leather is a highly durable material. “Leather can be differentiated by its touch, its smell, and the material’s aging. Leather is like a pair of shoes, when they are new they are hard. With time, they adapt to the feet and become more comfortable with use,” he adds.

For those opposed to leather goods, new fabrics are being created to extend a bag’s life. The material is such a critical element that popular handbag designers, such as Coach, Gucci, DKNY and Dooney & Bourke, are creating their own signature microfibers, says Jana Young, a dressing specialist who can be found at www.FigureFlattery.com.

Seasonal Do’s & Don’t’s

Handbag fabrics are dictated by the season.
“Summer purses are more fun, we don’t take them as seriously and they are usually less expensive. So we can have different bags for different outfits. You can have that hot-pink bag when you wear that hot-pink T-shirt,” Bremer observes.

The signature bag of summer is made of straw, and Bremer recommends well-dressed women leave this material for hotter months. “Winter is fabric and leather.” As far as what’s “in” and “out” this season, Hernández says, “Today, there is a total turn toward the classic designs of the 1950s.” And when it comes to prints, Young recommends losing the jungle look (adiós leopard dots and tiger stripes), and instead sticking with checks and plaids.

Traditionally, bags and shoes were supposed to match, but this is no longer the case these days. Now there are new guidelines when choosing a bag.

“Think about the primary color of your outfit, then match or tone your bag to your outfit,” Young advises. For example, a purse in the brown color family works best with something in warm colors like reds, oranges and yellows. She also likes to choose an opposite color to add flair. “To spruce up a ho-hum outfit, include a colorful purse. Red is great with black and white or houndstooth. A pink to burgundy one would look great with a primarily gray outfit.”

Women aren’t the only ones who need to be concerned with picking the right bag. Men also need to remember that their bags will communicate nonverbal messages about them to others. “Your briefcase will dictate either a casual work environment or a professional one,” Young says. “Black conveys the most professionalism, just like a suit. Softer sides and lighter colors convey a more casual and relaxed profession.”

Shopping Tips

Before investing in a handbag, backpack or briefcase, examine it carefully. “Make sure the closure is tight, that the inside lining isn’t too loose so that it flushes up, and that it’s actually cut to fit,” Bremer suggests. To get the best deal possible, Young recommends waiting for end-of-season sales. The fall/winter bags begin to go on sale in January and February; May and October are also good months for
finding bags on sale. Young also finds good buys at outlet and resale stores and online, but she warns that there are risks involved with each. “At outlet stores, you may be buying a bag specifically made for the outlet market or one with a slight irregularity. When buying a handbag second-hand, you run the risk of buying a knock-off.”

Young says handbag shoppers should ask themselves a few questions before buying. Is the bag for work, casual or both? Do you prefer many compartments such as a pocket on the outside for a cellular phone or keys? Is this bag trendy, and will it only last one season?

Those interested in a briefcase should think about the following: Will this briefcase convey the business image you want to portray? If you’re carrying a computer, how easy will it be to get inside? How durable does this need to be? It may seem as if choosing the proper handbag or briefcase is a painstaking effort, but that’s only because most people seldom realize their importance. These portable accessories do more than just hold credit cards and pagers, they can also pull a look together or drive it apart.