Last night, I saw a woman walk out of Starbucks without her bag. I know. It was sitting on the ground next to her chair while she chatted with a friend cum real estate advisor (which is what I gather from bits of their conversation), and she just…left it there.
Don’t get me wrong; if my idea of a handbag was a pint-sized imitation Vera Bradley (not even the real abomination; a fake Vera Gag-me!), I’d probably leave it on the ground, too. I might even leave it on the cold cement of the drive-through, in the pouring rain, slightly to one side to make sure it and its contents get obliterated by the next beverage-bearing vehicle.
Because, really, who even cares, at that point?
For that woman, a handbag is just something she thinks she should carry, not a completing element of her outfit, her day, her personality. That woman and I—I would imagine—would not agree on much.
Going far beyond the basic functionality of allowing a girl to carry everything she needs for her WHOLE LIFE, handbags can, and should, make a statement. Statements needn’t always be loud; I’m not saying you need to carry a neon bag if you have an outgoing personality. Your bag should be a fabulous manifestation of exactly what makes you fabulous, not just something in which to throw your wallet and hide under your arm.
Be it a yellow hobo with a bling’d out peace sign on the front, a sleek, black tote for your laptop, or a muted grey hobo with tough hardware, a handbag is the most functional complement to its owner, a completion, if you will.
PS The woman made it halfway to her vehicle before realizing the treasure she left inside. But she’s lucky I didn’t dispose of it, for her own sake, before she returned. (verabradleeey…)
