PURSES Great handbag carries a lot of weight

The price tag doesn't matter as much as the message a good purse sends.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- There are so many choices standing between a woman and her perfect handbag that she often buys everything in her way.
"They're all so tempting," gushes Anna Johnson. "There are fewer rules in fashion now, so it's an excuse to have more bags."
A good bag acts as an extension of the body, she reasons; it says so much about a person in such a small space.
Power trip
Johnson is the author of "Handbags: Power of the Purse" (Workman), a book that attempts to describe "why a little piece of fabric or a little pouch of leather with a strap on it is so powerful."
She says that a purse often indicates a woman's higher aspirations. If she wants to look organized, she might choose a unisex-style briefcase; if she wants to look like a woman so wealthy she doesn't care about status symbols, she might choose a canvas tote that would fit right in on a yacht.
"Every woman wants a bag you can wear to work and that makes you look like you make $30,000 more than you do," Johnson adds.
But, she says, it's not the cost of the bag that matters, it's the message.
Right now her own three favorites are a Lambertson Truex Westport bag that can hold her keys, cell phone and practically all her office supplies; a bag from Donna May Bolinger that Johnson calls her "airport bag" because it accommodates three magazines and a bottle of water; and a Sonia Rykiel Domino purse that isn't as practical -- it's covered in rhinestones -- but it has a built-in key ring. She calls her style "expensive downtown."
"My bag says I'm not really ready for a serious status bag yet. I'm not ready to be that grown up."
Personality carries forth
Other purses with personality, according to Johnson, include:
UElegant icons, such as a Birkin or Kelly from Hermes, the Fendi Baguette or almost anything from Chanel, carry the message, "I'm worth it." "There's a great dignity in carrying a bag with great lineage," she adds.
UA "bag of the moment," which is anything there is a waiting list for, means the owner takes fashion seriously.
UA tote bag signifies an unpretentious American style. It is classy with a touch of sportiness.
UDecorated purses embellished with fringe, beads and the like, are usually carried by women who indulge in their femininity. "She's laughing at her responsibilities," Johnson says.
USporty styles, including a Kate Spade shopper or a Bonnie Cashin "grab-it-and-go" shoulder sling, are "suggestive fashion," carried by a woman who wants to look as if she can do it all.
UNovelty bags along the line of Moschino's melting chocolate purse or a Lulu Guinness floral bouquet are "like red shoes on a rainy day -- impractical and absolutely fabulous."
Fashion with function
Most women want a purse that is a combination of the above, which is why Kate Spade, one of the first accessory designers to focus on everyday bags for everyday life, became an icon in such a short amount of time, says Johnson.
But Johnson predicts a new wave of handbag designers will come from a world far away from fashion: She expects industrial designers to get in on the act.
It eventually will dawn on someone that women will pay a very high price for an attractive, functional, long-lasting bag that is also comfortable to carry but big enough to hold sunscreen and bottled water, Johnson says. That someone is unlikely to come from a fashion background where practicality is at best an afterthought, she notes.
Valerie Steele, chief curator of The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, admits that she carries multiple purses on a given day.
She says she thinks of her tote as "the mother ship," and inside she tucks many other smaller bags. The only time she can pare down to a tiny sleek clutch is the evening, when she needs only a lipstick and a key.
"It means someone else is paying," Steele says.