September 2004

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For a lot of reasons, I've been thinking today about handbags. I tend to call mine a pocketbook, and considering that the one I'm carrying these days does have a lot of pockets, it's an apt description.

I've mainly been thinking about what it is I want a handbag to be. I want it to be large enough to carry whatever marvelous things I might want it to hold for me. I used to say, when I was responsible for buying the coffee for Non-Profit Agency #1, that I needed a handbag large enough to hold a pound of coffee.

I wasn't kidding. The bag I tended to carry most in those days would indeed hold that purchase, as well as a newspaper. All without looking cumbersome or causing bodily harm to me or anyone else (unless I meant for it to do so).

I also want a handbag to be multipurpose. I don't always want to have to change bags if I'm going from a semi-dressy occasion to one much less formal in the space of a few days. I like not having to worry much about whether my bag matches anything, so I don't often use bags that are more than one color.

Handbags are my second fashion passion, after shoes. I did, in earlier times in my life, love having bags that matched my shoes. That, of course, resulted in a lot of handbag-changing. At some point along the way, I gave that up, and don't change so often anymore. Unless it's for a special occasion, I tend to leave well enough alone.

Something else that's important to me, in light of my back troubles, is having the bag itself be as light as possible. I rarely buy or carry bags that weigh more than a pound or so when empty. That allows me a little more flexibility in terms of the weight of things I put in them, of course.

Oh and sturdy is good. I like sturdy. I like being able to put the bag down without worrying that it will collapse and spill all my stuff, or be easily tipped over. And I like it when a bag is well made and lasts a long time. I prefer bags that don't get soiled easily, and that clean up easily and well if they do get soiled.

Last but not least, it needs to be attractive.

Sometimes, to have them be just what I want, I even make my own.