First
I think we should address the question, "Is there a difference between
a handbag and a purse? And what about all the other types of purses out
there - clutches, satchels, totes... what does all of it mean?" A lot
of the facts out there are merely people's opinions. So I'll start with
mine. I say the only difference between a handbag and a purse is the
way you carry it. A handbag is more like a satchel, in that the straps
are shorter and are not meant to hang from the shoulder. A purse has
longer straps so that it hangs down almost to your waist. (These types
of purses remind me of the older style that our mom's have.) But I do
tend to use the word "purse" more often than handbag because I find
that handbag is a newer term, and purse just rolls off the tongue.
But
let's discuss what the so-called experts say about the difference
between a handbag and a purse. When you search for "handbag" on
Wikipedia, it actually re-routes you to the "purse" page. From Wikipedia:
In American English, a purse is a small bag, also called a handbag or a pocketbook.
In
British English, a purse is a small money container similar to a
wallet, but typically used by women and including a compartment for
coins, with a handbag being considerably larger; indeed, a purse is
often kept in a handbag.
A purse or handbag is often fashionably
designed, typically used by women, and is used to hold items such as
wallet, keys, tissues, makeup, a hairbrush, cellular device or personal
digital assistant, feminine products, or other items.
In the
early 1900s people began calling their bags "handbags". This term
referred to luggage that men carried. They then inspired women, who
began carrying bags with complicated fasteners, internal compartments,
and locks. In the 1920s, it became popular that bags no longer had to
match your outfit. In the 1940s, with WWII, women's purses were made
out of wood or plastic since metal was being saved for supplies. In the
1950s, popular handbag designers included Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and
Hermes. Today these three brands are still popular, along with Gucci,
Christian Dior, Fendi, Prada, Kate Spade, and Lockheart among many
others.
Types of handbags
* Clutch: Small, yet long (rectangular), evening bag without a handle.
* Satchel: large bag with small handle that is carried on the arm rather than on the shoulder.
* Duffle: A large bag usually used for travel or sports.
* Tote: A medium to large bag with two straps.
* Messenger bag : A bag with a long strap to be worn across the body.
* Sling bag : A bag with a long strap (similar to a messenger bag), yet smaller.
So see, even Wikpedia agrees with me. There's not much of a difference!
Here is an example of what I think is a handbag and a purse. Our designer inspired white handbag
has shorter handles, making it the perfect "arm" bag. It is easily held
on the arm, as opposed to up higher on the shoulder (though you can fit
it up there too.) The giraffe print purse has slightly longer handles that you would definitely wear on your shoulder, hence we call it a purse.
I hope you've enjoyed this little lesson on the handbags vs purse subject!
Now let's talk about another specific type of purse - the hobo. No, silly, not the bums on the street - we're talking about the hobo handbag.
A hobo bag is a style of purse characterized by its crescent shape and
slouchy appearance. It actually did get its name from the appearance of
the bags that homeless people used to carry slung over their shoulder
tied to a stick. That's kind of sad, isn't it? But I digress. Hobos are
one of my favorite types of bags and we have a lot of them to show you!
We have a variety of handbags including giraffe print hobo purses and
zebra print hobo handbags. These purses fit the description of a hobo
because they are pretty large, have longer handles that you can sling
over your shoulder, and have a general crescent shape. They are also
more "slouchy" and don't have a defined shape. These hobo style bags
are popular and never go out of style. Check out our selection at handbagbug.com!
Not
only is the style or shape of the bag important, but so is the color or
print. Get something in zebra print. Animal prints will never go out of
style, especially if you stick with a classic one. Timeless black and
white stripes are safe for years to come, so if you don't want to buy a
new handbag every time the trends change, get a zebra print handbag or
zebra print wallet and never worry about it again. Try zebra print with
a splash of color to spice things up. We have a zebra print purse
with pink handles, a zebra print wallet with red trim, one our zebra
print peace totes that come in green, red, blue, or pink, or our Ed Hardy version zebra print tattoo bag.
A lot of people shy away from animal print because they think it's too
wild for them, but it doesn't have to be. Zebra print stripes are one
of the safer patterns. Leopard prints might scream wild and crazy but
zebra prints say "I know how to pick my animal print and look great!"
Don't be afraid, be confident. Go forth and choose one of the many
zebra prints from our site!