The Psychology Behind Your Handbag

In the 1940s, the term "bagology" was created - in an attempt to explain the science of handbags and the meaning of how a woman carries her handbag to men.   An article was published which tried to explain that the way a woman carries her handbag tells a lot about her.   In the same way that you can tell a lot about a person simply by the clothes they wear, you can tell a lot about a woman by the handbag she carries.    


Here are some examples - 


1.  Underarm Shoulder Bags -


Handbags which are smaller and fit tightly under the shoulder, usually indicates class and sophistication  


2.  Big and Bulky -


Big and bulky oversized bags are casual and are usually used by younger women - ie students who usually carry lots of books etc and also by down-to-earth women - usually mums who need the room for nappies etc!

                                                                 
3.  Designer Bags - 


These often cost an arm and a leg and tend to be used by high maintenance women who are confident and will settle for nothing less than a "name".  

4.  Leather Bags with Buckles and Zips -   


Women carrying these bags are usually unleashing their wild side!   They also tend to think before they act and are always ready for a good time.   The extra buckles and zips seem to signify a "bad girl" image!

5.  Bright Colours -     


Brightly coloured handbags usually mean that a woman is fun, friendly and approachable.   Woman who are out-going and sociable tend to choose these colours.   


6.  Black and Brown -  

Women who choose blacks and browns tend to be more reserved, down-to-earth and who may be shy at first but open up after a while.    






What does your handbag say about you?

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Happy Father's Day - How it all Started

Happy Father's Day to all Dads                                  

Many scholars believe that Father's Day is almost 4,000 years old and can be traced back to Babylon when a young boy called Elmesu carved Father's Day wishes on a card made from clay - wishing his father good health and a long life.

However, Father's Day as we know it today, was actually inspired by a woman - Mrs John B Dodd of Spokane, Washington in 1909.   Her mother died in childbirth and her father was left to raise 6 children and so grateful was she, she wanted a day to celebrate fathers.   She even dedicated a flower for Father's Day - the rose.   Red roses for living fathers and white roses for fathers who have died.

She began circulating petitions and within a year, Spokane agreed to honour fathers on the 3rd Sunday in June.   Cities and towns across the USA also began to celbrate Father's Day too.

In 1924, President Coolidge supported the idea of Father's Day and in 1966, President Johnson declared Father's Day a national holiday and it was made official by President Nixon in 1972.

Now Father's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world - a day for children (of all ages) to thank their fathers and pay tribute to them.              
 

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Why a Handbag? A Short History of the Handbag....

All of us handbag lovers use our handbags every day, change the styles depending on the season/fashion/what outfit we are wearing, but have you ever wondered - where did handbags come from and why did we start using handbags?

Handbags have been used since early times, firstly as pouches used to carry seeds and medicines - and both men and women carried these pouches.   In the 15th century, traditionally a bag was a gift which a bridegroom gave to his bride.   These bags were elaborately decorated - usually embroidery - with a love story.   In the 16th century, women carried "sweet bags" which held lavender and were used to scent their handkerchiefs!   Around this time, pockets became common in clothing and were used to carry small personal items.

By the 18th century, women's clothing became more fitting and this was when women began carrying small, silk embroidered pouches to carry their personal items - such as a handkerchief, fan, perfume, face powder and dance card.

In the Victorian period, handbags became very popular and became more like the handbags we know today.   As well as drawstring bags, bags began to be made of different fabrics and colours to co-ordinate with an outfit and were circular or square shape and decorated with embroidery and beads.

By the early 20th century, women were carrying bags every time they left home and handbags were becoming more and more popular.   And, handbags have adapted well through the ages - changing to accommodate what women considered necessary to carry within them.   From the seeds and medicines of earlier years to sunglasses and cosmetics of more modern years.   And the size of handbags has also adapted - it was once regarded as "lady-like" to carry as little as possible, therefore, handbags were small whilst the modern woman who works and has children, needs a large bag to carry as much as possible!!

Shoulder bags became popular during World War 2 and technology created a wide variety of materials for handbags from canvas to faux leather and other synthetic materials.   And as these fabrics became more popular for handbags, it became commonplace for women to have a variety of handbags to be prepared for any occasion and outfit.   

Today, a woman would feel at a loss without her handbag.   Her handbag shows her personal taste and carries her personal items and......secrets!   And yet, the handbag fashion has never really been popular with men - whilst it is not uncommon to see a man with a courier bag or a messenger bag, men still prefer to use pockets to carry personal items.   A man's suit will tend to have numerous external and internal pockets, a woman's suit or jacket, will only have a couple of pockets - and usually these are shallow or just for decoration.

So, in summary - a woman NEEDS her handbag.

Celebrating Easter

Our Easter celebrations include a family dinner - traditionally lamb with rosemary and all the trimmings - followed by chocolate eggs and bunnies!   But around the world, Easter is celebrated in many different ways.


In Poland, the man of the house is not allowed to prepare the Easter bread as it is believed the dough will fall on his moustache and turn it grey and the dough will not rise.


In Hungary, there is a ceremony where women - in traditional dress - are splashed with water by men.


And in the Czech Republic, again in a traditional ceremony, women are whipped!   Men beat women and girls with handmade whips - which is not done to be painful - it is believed that this will make the women more healthy and beautiful!


In Colombia, the traditional Easter dinner consists of iguana, turtles and big rodents instead of chocolate and eggs.


Children dress up as witches in Finland and go looking for treats - it is believed that witches become more powerful at Easter and bonfires are used to chase them away.


In Germany, the children take part in the Easter egg hunt - but the eggs are hung from trees and some trees will be brightly decorated with hundreds of eggs!

In Greece, eggs are painted red and used for making the Easter bread.

In the BagPurse household, though, we will be sticking to the traditional chocolate and lamb!

Happy Easter!

The Very Useful Fashion Accessory - the Cross Body Bag!

Is the Cross Body Bag one of the most loved accessories?   Dressed casually, weekends away or even day-to-day, sometimes a large shoulder bag is just not convenient.   The beauty of a cross body bag is.......you can just forget all about it!!   Put all the essentials - lipstick, phone, purse etc - into it, pop it on - and you know you can relax and that your valuables are safe - so much easier to hold onto in a busy shop, train, etc than a traditional handbag or shoulder bag.   It is much more difficult for a potential thief to grab a bag where the strap goes around the body!


And if you are travelling, how much easier to negotiate the train - or the airport - when both hands are free.   Whilst on holiday, you can browse the markets, safe in the knowledge that your cross body bag is there with you and yet, your hands are free.   There are so many occasions where it is so useful to have the use of both hands!!


Bags with long enough straps to go around your body to the hip, are now very much in demand - and the biggest questions are - which colour for which occasion?    There are so many colours available now - from traditional blacks right through to bright and colourful fuchsia and turquoise.


At BagPurse, we have a great range of cross body bags - with prices as low as £3.99 at the BagPurse ebay shop - at that price, you could treat yourself to a couple for your holidays - one for daytime and one for evenings.


www.bagpurse.co
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/bagpurse123
www.amazon.co.uk/shops/A3C972SK8ERXHZ

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Which Colour will You be this Spring?

We all look forward to Spring - longer days, bright mornings and warmer weather - and the "in" colours for Spring are reflecting these feelings.


Top of the list are oranges - which will brighten anyone's day or mood closely followed by yellows, which are slightly warmer but still full of energy.


Purples and pinks will still be popular as will the good old beiges and greys - always so adaptable and versatile.

Accessories this spring will reflect these colours perfectly.........so now is the time to "spring clean" your wardrobe and leap into Spring with these gorgeous colours!

Mother's Day - How It Started

It's Mother's Day this Sunday and we will all be showing our Mums how much we love and appreciate them - and all of us who are Mums, hope that we will be appreciated too!   But, do you know how Mother's Day started?

Mother's Day has been around for a very long time and can actually be traced back to Ancient Greece when Rhea, Mother of the Gods, was celebrated.   During the 1600s, it was celebrated by Christians to honour Mary - but was later extended to include ALL mothers.    At this time, many people worked as servants but were allowed Mother's Day off to return home and spend the day with their mothers and often, a special cake - called the Mothering Cake - was brought along for the celebration.

Nowadays, Mother's Day is traditionally a very busy day for restaurants - it is one of the most popular days for families to dine out and is also celebrated with cards, chocolates, flowers and gifts.

How will you be celebrating Mother's Day?