HandBags & Travel Bags

Here is a roundup of my favorite handbags and travel bags. Isn’t it comical how much time and money we spend trying to find the “perfect” bag? And your idea of the perfect bag changes with the different stages of life you are in. When I was newly working and young(!), I bought this really cute suede celine bag that just fit my wallet and essentials. I remember dropping a knife with caesar salad dressing on the suede and just about freaking out.

Next, I splurged on a ferragamo shoulder bag. It was completely impractical, hard to get into and barely held anything!

After having kids and needing to carry tons of extra items, I ended up with some big contraption. I don’t even honestly remember what I used. I guess that phase of my life is a blur.

But now, I think I’ve figured it out! At least for me. I don’t have to carry as much but everyday life seems to require a fair amount of stuff. For that, I bought this bag:

HandBags

I really like it (though some may not as it doesn’t have a top closure.) I love the flat shoulder straps, that seem to stay in place better than rounded ones. It has two interior pockets, one with a zip closure, for smaller items. The interior is a lighter color, so it is easy to find things, and it has a clip for your key so you aren’t always searching for them. Also, it isn’t too heavy. I’ve been really pleased with this bag.

For Travel

For traveling, I like to bring a couple of different options. If you are like me, I often end up bringing back more than I took, so I keep a longchamp bag folded in my suitcase for these situations. They also double as great beach bags, because they are practically indestructible, and spot wash well. Another good bag to have when traveling is a small cross body, for when you just want to keep the essentials with you.

I recently purchased this Longchamp Foulonne for this purpose. It’s been on one trip, and was perfect. You can also keep it within a larger bag to keep your valuables more secure.

The top left bag is a brand called Hereu. I’ve taken it on one trip and really loved it. It’s on the smaller side, but is also very lightweight. It is made of canvas with leather handles and comes in lots of variations.

And it looks nice for day and into evening. Not very touristy, which I like. Another great canvas option, as they are generally lighter, is the Burberry canvas check bags. I have a smaller version, which I love, and I’ve recently purchased this larger version for traveling. A patterned bag can make your clothes palette a bit more limited when you travel, but it is such a classic and I love it.

As for luggage, I’ve been really happy with my Away Euro sized carry-on. I’ve had it for a few years now… It packs really well and has worn well too. We have two and I wish we had more.

The Occasion Handbag

Finally, an evening bag. I bought a small Furla bag in Turin at the Furla store a few years ago, and I just love this bag. This color, which is between grey and beige, goes with everything. It’s perfect for evenings. Small enough but not useless, and versatile. It comes with a shoulder strap as well. Normally I wouldn’t choose this kind of closure for everyday, as it does take longer to get in and out of the bag, but this is not a problem for an evening out.