The Queen keeps hers with her at all times and it’s a source of fascination as to what she keeps in it.
Jane Birkin had one designed for her after a chance meeting with an Hermes executive on a plane.
Grace Kelly had not one but two of them named after her.
After being assigned a bag by wardrobe for an Alfred Hitchcock film, she decided she liked the style and bought her own (we assume).
Then when Princess Grace was pictured in Life magazine using it to shield her baby bump while getting out of a car, the connection was sealed and Hermes renamed it the Kelly bag.
The Grace bag by Mark Cross found fame as the tiny suitcase-style purse from which the actress pulled her glamorous nightwear in 1954 film Rear Window.
Every woman has a handbag story and somewhere Oscar Wilde is smiling as Lady Bracknell’s famous line from The Importance of Being Earnest is brought to people’s minds at the mere mention of one.
A handbag is an important piece of kit and has to meet exacting standards. It has to hold stuff, that’s a given.
But it has to do that well, with, for example, different compartments to organise everything; a zipper to stop belongings falling out or being pinched and an interior that works with you not against you when you’re rummaging around in it.
A light-coloured lining, as opposed to black, makes it easier to locate things quickly.
Next is weight and ease of operation. A bag that feels heavy before you’ve even put anything in it can become a burden after a couple of hours of lugging it around.
Ease of operation is where opinions differ and is why every woman has a different ideal handbag.
Cross-body and shoulder bags are hands-free, but Birkin-style bags sit in the crook of the elbow so you can carry a latte at the same time. Genius.
