No longer a one-bag woman - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

About: Celebrating the Small Crossbody Bag

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

No longer a one-bag woman

Aziraphale

Veteran

Yay for small crossbody bags! I don't always wear a bag, but in the summer when I don't have jacket pockets to stuff my things into, I sport a small crossbody -- because how'd y'all keep a satchel from falling off your shoulder? I can't, unless I hold it with my arm THE ENTIRE TIME. I need to live in a world where I have the use of both my hands!

Anyway, I am taking a leaf from your book, Angie, and I'm adding more bags to my collection. I used to have just the one, a fairly big light brown one, but eventually decided that sometimes I'd like a smaller bag and so I got a cute little red crossbody. I later acquired a similar little black crossbody, and just last week I added a new mustard canvas one (image below). I am in love. I didn't think I liked mustard, but this little bag is my new favourite thing.

One thing that still drives me bonkers: transferring over my stuff from one bag to another. I keep telling myself this is no different than emptying my pockets, but it somehow seems like more work!

Question for others: how many bags do you need so that you have an appropriate bag for all occasions and outfits?

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Dressing

16 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

LaPed

Veteran

I used to be a one-bag person as well -- now I have two! My main bag is messenger style and carries my stuff plus kid stuff. I just added a black leather crossbody this spring as a "going-out" bag: room for phone, wallet, keys, but no kid stuff. Really nice to have when I end up in a pocket-less outfit for a summer dinner or other get-together.

Love the mustard color, and the cute dandelion print!

I too am baffled by bags that require the use of a hand to keep them in place -- unless bags are hands-free, what is the point?

Aziraphale

Veteran

Thanks, LP! I think it was the dandelion fluffs that got me. And as it turns out, mustard goes with a lot of the clothes in my closet!

I have older kids so I don't need to put kid stuff in my bag anymore, and like you I have a small black crossbody bag (as well as a red one). I'm liking the smaller handbags these days. My old brown one still looks good, but I'm finding it too heavy after getting used to the smaller bags.

DonnaF

Veteran

Oh, great bag!!! Pre-YLF I wasn't a bag lady either. Welcome to the slippery slope. I seriously reviewed what I carried (and need to re-examine and pare down again!) and discovered that most was surplus that I never used. I keep all that little stuff in a small zippered nylon bag that I transfer from bag to bag along with my wallet, phone, and keys. Every one of my bags has a pen that remains there all the time.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Oh, great idea, Donna! I need to look for the right sized little zippered bag! It would have to be quite small though.

Lisa

Veteran

Bags are always falling off my shoulders. I never knew why until one day I realized it's because my shoulders are very sloped. I currently use a large tote for my work stuff and swap between 4 satchels/totes for handbags based on my outfit. I don't carry much in my bag (everything is in the tote) so it's not a hassle for me to swap wallet, keys, lipgloss, and phone between bags. However I am lazy and I will sport outfits 2 or 3 days in a row that require the same color bag just so I don't have to swap. On weekends I switch to a crossbody bag and I only have 2 of those. I'll pick one and use it for the weekend. For special occasions I have one bag, a small back bag. I do have a purple patent clutch but I never use it as I am not a clutch fan. It was a gift from 2 good friends though so I am not ready to part with it just yet.

Sal

Veteran

Great bag.

I have one cognac tote, one bone handbag, a backpack (not very dressy but not embarassing either) and a new toffee small crossbody I have a few clutches for evening too.

I was always a one bag person, then a two bag, and now three bag and I am contemplating one more. My bag is never tidy on the inside so changing over is a pain:)

Jane

Veteran

Ohh! Nice bag! I like the graphic print.

I have a work bag that I use mostly, a less used work bag, and a weekend bag. The weekend bag is work in progress, as I need to find one that I really like. I am reasonably tight on what I carry, and can transfer with ease from one bag to the other.

Enjoy your new bag!

Joy

Veteran

What a sweet bag! I used to wear my bags into the ground one at a time except for one small special occasion bag. Now I enjoy a variety of sizes and try to have a bag for each shoe color. Black gets the least use, metallics in silver/pewter/gold get the most, as does a white bag with black trim. I keep a comb and packet of tissues in every bag and just switch out my billfold, keys, bag of meds, phone and a shopping bag. I am aiming at a nylon shopping bag in every large handbag that may go shopping with me. A smart phone has cut down on what I need to carry..it's a camera, a keeper of lists and notes, an address book and more.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good for you, E. Cute crossbody.

Now you can start looking for your third wardrobe pet.....

Aziraphale

Veteran

Lisa, my shoulders are very square and don't slope at all, yet bags want to fall off them anyway!

Sal, that's what I'm missing -- a clutch for evening. I remember back a few years ago "daytime" clutches were in style -- a concept that was met with howls of laughter from my group of women friends (all mothers). But an elegant evening clutch is something I'm finding I could use, now that my kids are older and I go out to dressier events occasionally.

Jane, I don't carry a whole lot either, but psychologically the idea of transferring stuff from one bag to another seems overwhelming! I have issues...

Joy, I agree that smartphones in a way reduce what you need to bring -- after all, who carries a camera anymore? But on the other hand, I never leave home without it. If I want to be really minimal (like when I don't carry a bag), I used to need only a card carrier, a lipstick and my keys. The phone -- a fourth item -- means I need 25% more "stuff" at all times!

Lol, Angie, what do you mean, "third wardrobe pet"? I'm already at four. Now it's on to number five -- a dressy clutch!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Your title suggests this was your second bag.

DonnaF

Veteran

See my pet below? I don't go for seriousness or sophistication in my choices. . . I should figure out how to fashion a wristlet handle to connect to the zipper. But then, I'd probably break the zipper.

I don't go to really dressy events, so the silver bag below is for day and evening. The snap tends to come open -- which snaps tend to do.

Nordstrom At Home Cuddle Up Faux Fur Pouch

View Info

Top Pick

8

POVERTY FLATS By Rian Zipper Flap Clutch

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

24

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I'm so with you on not wanting to hang onto a bag on one shoulder, and I don't have sloping shoulders either.

I generally just have one purse that I use every single day. Once I didn't need a bookbag/messenger bag every day, it took me a while to accept that I needed a purse. I like a small, well-organized crossbody. I can forget it's there, and because it always is, I can grab it and get what I need without paying attention to it at all. I also use a mesh bag from The Container Store as a purse organizer. In theory, that would make it easy for me to switch to a different bag, but in practice, I still don't like switching things around (see: autopilot above), and one of my bags requires a different set-up.

Right now, it turns out that I have a little stable of purses. I'm carrying a medium-sized crossbody (in my finds), but I also have a small one from Merona in reserve, and part of my birthday gift from my mom was getting the straps on the last two little purses fixed. One of these days, I'll switch everything back to the black one, but the medium size might come in handy on a trip. I also have a sparkly one that I can use as a clutch or with the chain as a crossbody.

Anonymous

That's a really fun bag!
I feel like 9 bags would be perfect:
a summer dressy bag,
a winter dressy bag,
a gear backpack
a winter dressy clutch
a summer dressy clutch
a big casual tote (something like the LePliage)
a casual clutch (you can pop them in a larger tote!)
a straw bag,
a dressy cross body

Then I would feel complete. I have bags in 5 of these categories, and will add more in i filled categories over the next few years.

Runcarla

Veteran

I experienced purse trauma as a teen, and it has been a slow recover, lol! My first ever purse was stolen from my gym locker during my first month of high school ( grade 10). I didn't Own a purse until my 40's when I changed jobs and stopped carrying a briefcase! ( which was just a big purse, really!)

Small sport wallet, keys, day timer would go in the pocket of my blazer. (No blazer with the new job, either.) I got a purse to carry these things, and that would fit my lunch bag. Then I got another. And then another.

I currently have 5 'bags' and 3 clutches in rotation. The closest to ideal is a brightly striped fossil tote for summer, and a Longchamps Neo for winter. Both are large, lightweight, and water resistant as well as easy to sling over my shoulder, or swing from my hand.

My bag style will likely change next year, when I don't have to schlep half my possessions to work every day

Aziraphale

Veteran

Runcarla -- "purse trauma" -- lol!

smittie, 9 bags seems like a reasonable number. I hadn't thought about a straw bag, but if I saw a nice one, I could see myself wearing it. I got one for my mom one year as a birthday present, and I always thought it looked nice on her.

fashiontern, I'd love a sparkly little bag for evenings. It's on my list to look out for.

DonnaF, I love the hairy bag! It looks like a Muppet.