My sister collects shoes, she has so many pairs and as she’s half a shoe size smaller than me it’s annoying that I can’t borrow them!
Me, I’m a handbag girl. I have so many and what’s more I barely use them all. I have a couple of favourites and usually stick to them.
In the Regency era, the women were not much different when it came to handbags or reticules or ridicules as they were sometimes called. In fact, accessories were an essential part of any woman’s wardrobe. Gloves, hats, fans, and bags.
Women sometimes decorated the bags themselves. They were usually draw-string opening and would come in all shapes and sizes.
As women’s dresses usually had no pockets, her reticule was the place she could carry money or her handkerchief or smelling salts for when they swooned (usually from too tight a corset).
I have so much rubbish in my handbag. Sunglasses, glasses, makeup bag, wallet, brush, pens etc. I don’t know what I would have done in the Regency era. I suspect my reticule would have been huge!
I love my Longchamp back pack that I bought in New York in 2015 when I was RWA conference. I usually use backpack handbags so my hands are free when shopping, but also it’s better for my back and neck.
Do you have a favourite handbag?
