Bags: Beasts of burden

Sixty years on, the liberated 21st-century woman lives in a material haven in which handbags spell unbridled luxury. Crafted out of the finest leathers — suede, croc-skin or even ostrich — encrusted with Swarovski crystals, jingling with silver accessories or perhaps a limited-edition designer piece with a two-year waiting list, the bag has replaced the shoe as the most coveted item in a woman’s wardrobe. Costing up to £15,000, the handbag has become a status symbol, a major investment and the ultimate fashion statement. It is far too important an item to be entrusted to men to buy for us.

The average weight of handbags in the UK has reached a back-breaking 3½lbs (1.6kg). Beside the basics — diary, phone, cosmetics, sanitary products, haircare, “handbag-sized” magazines, book, road map, iPod, car stereo, nipple pads, Mace or rape alarm, packed lunch, flask of coffee, water — recent additions include Bibles, crystals, self-help books and embroidery or tapestry sets, which are making a comeback as working women look for something non-electronic to help them to pass time while in transit. Yet, despite the odd vibrator, set of lacy underwear or knife, it is not the individual items that attract attention, it is the sheer number of them.

Bags of freedom or a heavy burden? - Fashion - Times Online