Do the Designers Actually Use Them?

 

December 30, 2023

 

After attending a couple of fancy holiday dos, I thought I’d class up my act, purse-wise, so I decided to trade in my handy but battered hiking pack for a nice but small purse that would hold a cell phone, car keys, etc. The REALLY nice purses were all too small—apparently the women who buy them have tiny cell phones, and either don’t drive themselves (I’m thinking New York and cabs), or don’t use key fobs. The less-nice purses were big enough—barely—but only had clutch straps, not shoulder straps, so they’re impractical for people who want to keep their hands free as they’re walking.

 

I finally found one to fit the bill, but it’s had to stretch a weensy bit in order to hold the phone, lipstick, and keys with a fob.

 

In a funny twist of events, a few days after I bought it, the paper ran a fashion column wherein a reader complained that all the purses these days only had clutch straps. I felt her pain.