Purse shopping is right on up there with shoe shopping for pure fun! I mean, who doesn't like a good excuse to buy another purse -- aside from my sister, Tasha? Okay, the joys of searching for a new handbag may not be entirely universal so if you don't understand you'll just have to take my word for it. The rest of you know what I mean!
One of the best things about bags is that one size fits all! Or at least most...a cross body bag does actually have to go around one's body. I'm not quite that far gone, thank heaven, so I don't worry about that...much. And in fact, a cross body bag is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't want one that is too big because I'll be carrying it all day every day for over 3 weeks. But it should be big enough to hold a notebook (this is a class after all), a camera, my guidebook, and a light shawl or sweater (I'll explain this in a later post.) If there's room for a bottle of water that might be useful too.
I began my search at Herberger's. It's a great department store and usually has plenty of good stuff on clearance or on sale. I really didn't think it would take me long to find the perfect bag. I searched through the mountains of gorgeous purses, not allowing myself to get sidetracked (okay one or two other styles caught my eye but I was good and put them back!) It seems that the standard design for a crossbody bag is about 9"x9"x1" or smaller. Not quite big enough to fit a notebook (the old fashioned paper variety-- not the computer), and definitely not enough room for a light wrap let alone a bottle of water.
Hmm, this was more difficult than I imagined. I took the time to check out the specialty shops downtown. There are definitely a lot of cute handbags out there! But not a single one measuring around 9"x11"x3" which is roughly what I'd determined I needed. I even went into the consignment store. No luck on the cross body bag I was looking for...but...there was this one...it was black leather, with shiny buckles and only slightly larger than the overstuffed bag I currently carry. If I buy this one, maybe my everyday bag will actually close...hmm...good idea! Bought it. But still have to find the right one for my trip.
Someone told me to look at the Baggallini bags at Trumm Drug. I stopped in there one afternoon and I must say, I love Baggallini! They are designed to travel and have compartments for everything! Also, the zippers are oversize with charming metal zipper pulls. The clasps are very functional but very charming too. I admit. I'm a sucker for metal objects! Only one problem...the size was still on the small side. I pondered and fondled for quite awhile before I decided to take one home on approval. It just might work. But no. It did not. No matter how much I was in love, it still would not hold what I needed it to hold. So back to the store it went.
This is becoming ridiculous! Do I have to travel out of town to find a bag? It doesn't seem like my needs are extraordinary. Don't other people have to carry roughly the same stuff in roughly the same conditions? Surely someone has designed a bag for the purpose!
That's when I found out about ebags.com They literally do have every bag on the market! Plus you can sort them and search them by category, price, brand name and even color! I'm sure I looked at over 2000 bags! The great thing is that you can add them to a comparison chart in order to more closely compare features between the bags you like. I had about 10 bags in my comparison chart by the end of 2 hours of browsing. From there I was able to select two that I had shipped to my home. Between them, the cross body bag by Derek Alexander was the closest thing to what I had in mind. It is far less charming than the Baggallini *sigh* but it is basic, secure, and holds all I need with no room to spare. Not only that, return shipping was free on the one I sent back. Yay for ebags.com!
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