Handbag encyclopaedia A - C

There are quite a few ways to list and categorise handbags. Looking at our own wardrobes, some of us do it by colour, some by favourite style, some of us line our bags up to match the shoes we wear them with. Then you can define handbags by brand, by age, by style … to be honest, whatever way you do it, we know that having more knowledge about the designer, the manufacture and the history of your handbag will bring greater enjoyment. It may also help you to learn how to care for your bag, so that your fave bags remain looking good for longer. 

We’re going to look at handbags alphabetically because we love the idea of bringing some of the less well known handbag facts to our Blue Button Bags blog readers!

Acorn bags

Aficionados know that Acorn bags are a very special brand - from the US, they hand-craft beautiful bags that fit to bicycles. Yes, bicycles! While it may not be familiar to many of Blue Button’s readership, this tiny organisation has won a following of bike riders that use Acorn bags and won’t have anything else. If you have a bicycle rider in your life, then browsing the online Acorn store might produce the perfect gift for them.

Backpack 

The favourite bag of children everywhere, backpacks have overtaken satchels as the bag of choice for school. While they’re great for your spine because they help keep your posture good, they are also renowned for creasing clothes and they don’t look great with a stylish outfit.

Bucket bag

A favourite of the catwalk, this bag is hotly tipped to be a 2015 favourite - The Guardian even has a bucket bag rundown! Bucket bags are popular but not always practical; drawstring type tops are slightly more secure but only marginally so. The real difficulty with bucket bags is twofold, they are a pickpocket’s delight because they are so easy to dip into, and conversely, they often frustrate busy women because you have to rummage around inside them to find what you want. They are good-looking handbags though, and work very well for women who don’t have to carry too many small items around.

Clutch bag

The clutch is a perennial - it is the bag of choice for weddings and evening events, partly because it has a traditional association with luxury and high status. Because it has to be held in the hand, carrying a clutch suggests that the owner is rich enough not to need to do anything for herself, like open doors, drive cars (or carriages as it would have been originally), remove coats, pay for anything … whilst this idea is unconscious, it’s no accident that the clutch bag remains an essential part of glitzy events where appearing to be rich or famous - or both - is part of the fun! An envelope is a sub-category of the clutch; shaped like a clutch bag but with a flap that folds down over the front of the bag - the name says it all, really. Similarly a fold-over clutch has a handle that can be folded down, often to change the bag back into a clutch from being a bag that can be hung off the wrist. 

By Kay Sexton

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