These are the 7 essentials your handbag is missing
You can't beat the feeling of getting a new handbag. Finding one that balances luxury, affordability, and practicality, then trying it out with different looks and watching as it completely transforms an outfit. It's no surprise that many of us love to collect this timeless, accessory favourite.
The history of bags – from utility, to commodity, to luxury couture – is deeply political. It involves centuries of evolution, where wicker sacks for carrying crops slowly turned into immortalised, embellished relics in paintings, held by women to show status and wealth.
Before Jane Birkin could rise to fame and have Hermès transform her name into an ultra-luxury accessory, or Carrie Bradshaw could get robbed just for the cost of her designer baguette, or Succession could shame people for carrying a ‘ludicrously capacious bag’, we’ve been using bags as a staple of functional fashion. Today, the average value of a handbag has dramatically rocketed to over £1,600.
It’s historically been estimated that, on average, a woman owns 11 handbags. Between chaotically emptying contents between bags that work specifically for different outfits, a task that can impede any morning routine, making sure that you have everything you need can feel near impossible. What if you forget a hair tie or that letter that you were supposed to send?
Having a staple set of essentials that are cheap, affordable, and reliably fit into a small bag can make sure that your style is both fashionable and utilised for every possibility. Read on to discover our top handbag must-haves.
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The 7 handbag essentials
Lip balm
Dry lips aren’t a nice feeling for anyone. They crack and blister all day, and it’s impossible to go five minutes without thinking about how frustrating it is.
The trick is to use a lip balm that moisturises and nourishes the skin of your lips to protect you from the threats of the outside world. If you’re looking for a new variety to add to your bag, make sure that you look for a version that promote ingredients like aloe vera or shea butter.
Although alternatives can make you lips tingle or gloss when applied well, make sure to protect them with products that are moisturising and have SPF to protect your lips from sunburn during the warmer months.
Mints
Everyone should indulge in a great lunch. Treat yourself to that artisan sandwich in the coffee shop down the road, or the loaded jacket potato you’ve been eyeing up at the food market. Just try not to bring back the smell on your breath with you back to the office, where everyone else will feel like they also had the same thing for lunch.
Mints and chewing gum can be a great way to feel refreshed, with studies highlighting that mints can be a great way to boost brain function and make us feel more productive.
Charger
When the world is transitioning into a contactless digital space, void of physical objects outside a smart phone, existing without one can feel near impossible.
Although you shouldn’t live your life glued to your phone, making sure that you have the option to use one can always be a great way to look after your safety. The frustration of needing to call a taxi or pay for a purchase at the supermarket till, only to be greeted by a dark phone screen flashing a battery sign, is a humbling yet common occurrence.
Don’t let yourself be caught in a hard time and keep a charger to hand. If you’re uber-prepared, having a portable charger or charging phone case can also be a great way to look after your tech when you’re out and about. At the minimum, just make sure you’ve got a charging cable to hand in case you need it.
Perfume
Having a bottle of perfume to hand is a great way to feel refreshed in an afternoon slump, of kickstart your energy in the middle of the day. Maybe you’ve been stuck in a train carriage next to someone with questionable B.O. or caught in the classic trope of ‘I need an outfit for the office that works for dinner and drinks after work’.
No matter if Chanel No.5, Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium, or Victoria’s Secret body spray is your favourite aroma, having it to hand can elevate an outfit and add the finishing touch to your sense of style.
Don’t want to carry a large, heavy bottle around with you? Who does. Slipping a sample or travel-sized bottle in your bag can be a simple, light-weight trick to making your scent stretch to every bag you own.
Medicine
Paracetamol. Ibuprofen. Antihistamines. Whatever your drug of choice, not having it with you when you need it most can be a real headache (literally).
It’s safest to make sure that you’re fully prepared with whatever tidal wave of illnesses may hit you with bad symptoms during the middle of a busy day at work, or during an extra-long stretch in your morning commute.
Book
We’ve all seen the person reading in public and admired that they have the attention to not scroll endlessly on their phone. With so many digital alternatives to keep our brains mindlessly glued to our screens, something as simple yet timeless as a book can be a place of fortitude.
It may be a pocketbook of poems, a newly discovered sci-fi galaxy, or a gripping snapshot of the life of a phenomenal individual. The options for your choice of adventure are just as endless as the styles of bags that you can fashion them with.
As fewer of us are turning to reading for leisure, with only 1 in 3 children sharing that they enjoy reading, compared with 40% of UK adults admitting to not having read in the last twelve months, it’s never been more important to get lost in a great story.
The next time you go to refresh your social media, pick up a book from your bag and dare to learn something instead.
Pens
It’s something you always need but never remember to have with you. Pens are the handbag staple that can turn any newspaper into an achievable sudoku, a napkin into a space for doodling, or the back of a leaflet into the space to write down a list or someone’s number.
Having a pen sends a message that you’re prepared for the day with one of the most universal instruments needed to tackle what lies ahead, whether that be for personal or professional reasons.
The bags everyone needs in their wardrobe for every occasion
Backpack
No, they’re not just for school trips and dodging the one bag limit on budget airlines. Backpacks are great for boosting your posture and making sure that your arms aren’t aching after a long trip.
Everyday handbag
It might be an over-the-shoulder style or a small hand-held clutch, but no matter the size, this is the bag that you use every day. From work meetings, runs to the corner shop, and last-minute drinks with friends, this is the bag that is by your side on most of your adventures.
Invest in an item with durable material that can work with any outfit to really make this accessory a staple for any event.
Crossbody
A zipped staple for any form of exercise. It’s your saviour when you go running and need something to throw your keys into, the lifeline at festivals to make sure you can keep your money secure, and the only thing looking after your phone on a night out.
Tote
Scrunch it into a ball and throw it into another bag. This is the sigh of relief that stops you from endlessly buying new supermarket carrier bags to pollute the cupboard under your kitchen sink.
Use it for your weekly shopping, taking your lunch to work, and overall, cracking down on overbuying plastic alternatives where the handles snap the second time you use them.
The bag
You know the one. It’s kept in a cloth protective bag to make sure that it doesn’t get dust collecting on it or accidentally scratched without realising. Come weddings, baptisms, and funerals, this is the accessory you’ll have to hand to get you through the occasion.
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