What sort of handbag should I choose?
As a personal stylist I would say this is one of the most common questions I get asked. It seems a simple enough thing to go to a shop and just pick out a bag that you’re drawn to and buy it. But with the wealth of different colours, shapes, sizes, styles and budgets where is the best place to start? So, here are my top tips!!
Colour
The first thing to consider is the colour of the bag. Instead of buying another black handbag because that’s what you’ve always bought, why not add a bit of extra styling to your outfit by adding a different colour. You may not want to go all out with a bright colour but why not go for different neutral with a navy, taupe or grey bag instead. If you’ve had your colours done already you will know which the best neutral colours are to go with your colour palette. If you wear you’re your bag on your shoulder you will be amazed and how your eyes shine when you wear the correct colour for you.
Any outfit can be lifted by a bright coloured handbag and add a matching scarf and you’ve upped the style stakes considerably. Why not even go for gloves in the same colour to take you to the next level.
Style Personality
There are 6 main style personalities, although most of us will fit into several. You need to take this into account when choosing the perfect handbag. If you are a classic, natural or city chic then you will definitely want an unfussy handbag in one of your neutral colours to add a classy element to your styling. The likelihood is that you will choose well and use the same handbag all the time and it will look super stylish. The classic’s amongst you will also want to carry a handbag that matches the colour of your shoes.
The dramatics amongst us (of which I am one) will be wanting a bag that makes a statement! But not only one bag, probably one in every colour and style to change up your outfit. The creative ladies will want a very unusual bag that will fit in to their more eclectic wardrobe. Unlike the classic, natural and city chic ladies it will mix but not match the rest of her outfit. Lastly but definitely not leastly are the romantics. Their handbag will be much more delicate and feminine, probably in a lighter shade and may even be in a floral print and have pretty details like handbag charms.
Scale
From a styling point of view this is one of the main things to be aware of. There are three different scales; petite, average and tall. This is no reflection on your clothing size but is based around your bone structure, height and shoe size. To stay in scale, it’s important not to carry a bag that drowns you if you are a petite or makes you look much bigger than you are if you are a tall scale.
Shape
The general rule to follow is that if you have a curvy body shape then you are better with a softer bag that is more flattering against your curves, and if you have a straighter body line then a more structured bag will be more flattering for you. However there are so many shapes and styles out there to choose from that my advice would be to try a few and see which is the most flattering to your own body shape.
Where you carry your bag on your body
This may seem a bit of an odd thing to think about, but it is very important when choosing a bag to take this into consideration. If you are a triangle shape (aka a pear shape) then you carry extra weight on your hip area, therefore if you wear a bag at this level then you will be adding even more bulk in an area that we are trying to streamline, so wear a bag that sits just under your arm to add extra emphasis to your top half. By the same token, if you are an inverted triangle then you will be wanting to add extra emphasis on the bottom half of your body so this is where your bag should sit. For an hourglass figure with a fabulous waist, wear your bag around that area to draw the eye to your best feature.
In summary
If you follow these tips then you will find the perfect handbag will jump out at you from amongst the large array that are shouting at you from the shops. There’s no need to spend a fortune on a bag either, all of the fashion shops sell very reasonably priced bags, but by the same token I consider a bag to be a great investment too if you choose to spend a bit more on a bag that will last you for a while.
Choose well and your handbag will make every outfit you wear that little bit extra special.
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