A Bag Carried By A Bag is More Than Just A Bag
Some women are nuts for shoes. As a matter of fact, that’s the one stereo type about my black friends that I refuse to surrender. Every black woman I have ever known is a shoe nut. Never go shoe shopping with a black woman unless you pack a lunch and bring a flashlight, because you are going to shop all day and and far into the night. You have to drive to every shoe store in a fifty mile radius and she puts one or two pairs of shoes on hold at each store, or she has a system of hiding the shoes she wants to find later. When I have asked my friends what outfit they are trying to match the shoes to - in an attempt to be helpful - they say, “I’m just getting the shoes, I’ll find something to match them with later.” I gave away my last high heel shoes over ten years ago because my feet found Birkenstocks and have rebelled against any other shoe ever since, so the concept of buying uncomfortable shoes to match an outfit I don’t have is like choosing a steering wheel based on it’s cute buttons and someday, I’ll get a car to go around it.
Some women are nuts for shoes, but I can’t get too angry because I’m nuts for handbags. I am a bag lady. I was in grade school when Mrs. Quigley walked into my Fourth Grade with a red leather bag with a quilted pattern. I love red. I love geometric designs. I love utilitarian things. The red quilted handbag was a trifecta of joy and I can still see it in my mind.
Mature woman have three levels of handbags. One: The “Mary Poppins” big bag (the one where she pulled out a lamp, mirror and a Buick) that carries all we need, including a book, and has a separate compartment for the “others”. The “others” are children or partners whose items you get stuck carrying. When I was married, I carried my hubby’s wallet, reading glasses, sunglasses, keys, little pocket knife and assorted business cards he picked up. For me, I carried a wallet, lipstick, packet of tissues and slim datebook. My handbag weighed eighty pounds I think. I still use the big bag on occasion , but now I have a book and my own reading and sunglasses to carry.
The next level is the medium size bag, the “Big Girl Bag” - I’m carrying my stuff, you have to grow up and carry your own stuff bag. This is a very practical bag and almost always has the four little metal feet on the bottom because we are done with the sloppy hobo bags that flop over everywhere and things roll out. In this bag we have a wallet, glasses, keys, lipstick and that’s it. We aren’t carrying anyone else’s stuff. We’ve schlepped other peoples’ stuff for years and we are sick of it!!! When you see a man with a belly bag, he has a wife with a medium bag with four little metal feet....
Last, is the “Bagette” the mini-mini bag. I love mine. It has my driver’s license, debit card, ferry tickets, money, one lipstick, and a small zipper packet that I can use for change or earrings. I leave it packed just like that all the time and can drop it into a Big Girl or Mary Poppins bag anytime I need to. Oh, and did I mention, it’s leather, red, and has a quilted pattern? I think big things make us happy, but it’s the little things that give us joy.
P.S. The fantastic bag above is by Hermes.
No comments:
Post a Comment