Four Easy Ways To Sort Through Handbags

Should you go for the flowered print or the posh designer item? Should you get the clutch or the convertible type? Is brown more neutral than white? These are the questions of a compulsive shopper.

Don't allow the gazillion choices to confuse you and cloud your judgment. If you're shopping for a handbag, you can cut down your trip and your decision-making time from hours to minutes if you know how to sort through the wares. Check out the following ways you can easily categorize handbags.

• THE PRICE TAG. When budget is your priority, you can sort through handbags by price. There's not much to remember: there are expensive designer handbags, mid-priced ones and cheap steals. Of course, if you want a simpler classification, there can be just two: expensive or inexpensive.

The expensive types are the branded ones with a reputation to protect. These cost a fortune. The inexpensive types won't break your heart if these get damaged or wet. You can even treat them as dispensable and easily replaceable items.

• THE SIZE. Just like the price tag, you can classify handbags in three ways according to size: small, medium and large. The small handbag is literally handy and will contain only your basic necessities such as a small purse, a handkerchief, a lipstick and your cute cellular phone. This type is usually convertible and easy to clutch.

The medium handbag has greater capacity and can include bulkier items such as your digital camera, MP3 player, journal and pen and a pack of facial wipes – all in addition to the things you can stuff in your small handbag.

The large handbag has the biggest capacity and can double as a tote bag so that when things get heavy, you can hug the bag like a grocery package, or sling the straps over your shoulder.

• THE AFFAIR OR TIME OF DAY. This category makes you stop wondering why fashionable people constantly talk of “day” bags and “evening” bags. Day handbags are for casual occasions such as a trip to the fresh market or some time at the beach. Because these are often seen by people, these handbags sport brighter colors and prints.

On the other hand, evening handbags are usually for formal affairs such as dinner or flashier events like a disco party. Although the handbags tend to be black, these are often embellished with details such as sequins, beads, or silver or gold straps for elegance.

• THE MATERIAL. Handbags can be definitely made from a lot of materials, but at least three stand out: leather, cloth and plastic. Leather is expensive and it's usually the material that many designer handbags are made of. You have to be very meticulous in caring for the leather, because the tiniest spill can lower the value of the bag.

Handbags made of cloth are generally for everyday use. What makes them a practical choice is that you can wash them and reuse them without any fuss.

Handbags made of plastic may not exactly be your best choice for environment-friendliness, but the plastic gives you some waterproofing advantage if you're headed to a pool party or the beach.