What men don’t understand about the importance of handbags.

Yes – we all know shoes and bags are a girlie thing – and like many of the differences between men and women the love of bags and shoes is not understood by most men.

My husband for example, has 3 pairs of shoes at any one time – one for work, one for casual, one for posh do’s and a pair of trainers and perhaps a pair of sandals for the summer. OK – I know that’s 4.

I, on the other hand, as of todays date – 7th December 2010 – have at least 60 pairs – and that could be a serious under-estimate.

Where shoes are concerned it is about expressing personal style, being co-ordinated with your outfit, being conscious of the terrain and being conscious of the company (are you walking over cobbles, standing for a long time or doing a mammoth shop with your Mum/kids – in which case lower the heels slightly – or are you going for dinner where standing time will be minimal but the opportunity to flaunt your gorgeous heels out of the side of the table at your date / other half will be maximised – in which case go for the drop dead gorgeous sky scraper heels).

The same goes for bags – my husband has one wallet – and everything else goes in a coat pocket (or my bag). Whereas, I have a number (not telling) of beautiful bags from various well known and lesser known designers / brands.

Despite the very brand conscious world in which we live – it might surprise you to know that most girls actually buy bags they really love, not just the latest offering from Hermes, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Radley, Lulu Guinness or whoever else their favourite designer is.

And like shoes – we buy for a number of reasons from personal style and personality, to occasion, to outfit matching to the pure joy of owning a new handbag.

But none of this totally explains why we have so many shoes and bags.

No…. the real reason for that is that they contain our precious memories. I can still remember the first time I wore my first ever pair of (2nd hand) Louboutins. It was on a client visit in Bristol.

I can also remember the excitement of buying my first designer bag and sitting with it in Cloud Bar at Manchester’s Hilton feeling – literally – on top of the world!

And it’s not just the memory of the bag – but of everything in the bag that makes us hang on to every bag we have ever owned, no matter how dog eared!

I was looking through an old favourite yesterday and in it I found a letter from a very good friend who sent a precious photo of the family all together from the last time she visited – this turned out to be the last ever photo of the whole family before my Dad passed. There was also an old perfume bottle that evoked many memories immediately – as smells always do. There was an old dummy (or dodie as my kids used to call them) which brought back immediate sweet memories of my kids when they were toddlers. There was a handbag hanger (obligatory for me in every bag I own), a receipt from La Tasca (friends birthday) and a price list from a local beauty salon (my birthday). There was a business card of a work contact I had lost touch with and the necessary strip of paracetamol and wad of tissues.

Having intended to clear out the contents and throw away the bag – what could I do but carefully place everything back in that time capsule and put it back safely in my wardrobe where it can be revisited again and again.

And I am betting the blokes still don’t understand….. 

Add a comment December 7, 2010
Tags: bags, designer bags, Handbag Hanger, handbags, Hermes, Louboutin, Lulu Guinness, Marc Jacobs, Radley