The finest outfit that money can buy will look odd if you don’t get the accessories right, and for most women, that means getting the right handbag both for the occasion and for the outfit. It is important to consider the occasion and the type of clothes you will be wearing.
For example, formal occasions usually call for an elegant evening dress or party dress, accompanied by a small clutch bag with or without a shoulder strap, or a leather purse. These bags do not have room to carry very much, probably no more than a lipstick, credit cards and your keys, so don’t expect to be able to take all your usual day to day clutter with you. The next consideration is colour – if you can get a bag that matches the colour of your dress, it will always look effective. However, not everybody wants to have a wardrobe full of leather purses or clutch bags that they can only use with one dress, so it is usually safe to fall back on black or white.
For everyday wear, a leather tote, a shoulder bag or a hobo bag would be an obvious choice. Plenty of room to carry everything you could possibly need for the day, and even going into the evening if you plan to go out straight from work. The main thing is to colour co-ordinate the bag to your outfit, and try not to use the same handbag every day – ring the changes a little, otherwise your look will become tired and samey.
