Handbags and Purses - Don't Leave the House Without One

See more great Steve Madden handbags and purses and other Steve Madden clothing and accessories.

People have been putting stuff inside things to carry their stuff for a long time, pretty much since people figured out that stuff existed. Back before we had houses in which to put stuff, we had bags. Cave dwellers used animal skins to hold rocks and bones and twigs for use later. (I don't know what they used them for, this isn't an ancient tool discussion).

As time progressed, more stuff was invented, and so people needed more efficient bags.

The first handbags and purses are attributed to the Egyptians, who preserved it in their art. The Egyptians were extremely trendy, and started guyliner about 3000 years before we did.

Of course, handbags and purses are considered to be the domain of women, but in the Renaissance women didn't carry their items in a bag, as it would be inappropriate for a lady to carry anything (heaven forbid!). Instead, they wore a girdle, which was an ornate belt around the waste, from which hung the items they would carry around with them, such as a mirror, pots of color, or combs.

It wasn't until the Victorian period that women began to carry little drawstring handbags that were capable of carrying all the things that kept them purty.

Handbags and purses didn't really catch on as a fashionable item advertised to women until around the beginning of the 20th century. It was then that fashion designers, makers of dresses and shoes, realized that they could market bags to women for the purpose of accentuating and accessorizing their clothing (oh, and they hold stuff too).

Of course, the concept of the purse, a small bag designed to carry small items started with the minting of coinage after the dark ages. The Reformation also brought coin purses, because, since the Dark Ages sucked so much, no one was going to tolerate just carrying coinage around. Of course, other cultures got around the need for coin purses by punching holes in their coins and wearing them as jewelry. (They still had bags, but they didn't dirty them with money).

Men have been carrying bags for a long time, and back in the day there were usually only three purposes for handbags and purses - war, business and money.

The military duffel, haversack or backpack has been around since man has fought man, and is necessary to carry all the kit required for war. The Greeks and Romans carried small items in the folds of their clothes, and carried everything else in sacks.

As war declined for the common man, business became a more important factor, and the need to carry tools, documents and books to and from work was a must. Salesmen needed bags and boxes to carry samples and presentations to clients.

With the decline of coins as the primary form of currency, handbags and purses made way for wallets, which didn't require it's own bag, but bags to carry stuff to and from work and clients is still critical, and as women must be stylish, so must men be.

Traveling salesmen of yesteryear featured suitcases, display cases and briefcases, but these cases have made way to the slimmed down, essential-only attitude and rugged styling of the man-purse. Man-bag.

MESSENGER bag! Damnit!

The Great Kilt worn by Scots is a single piece of fabric folded held in place by a belt and kilt pin, and sometimes stitched, to create the easily recognized over the shoulder and skirted outfit. What a lot of people don't know is that the Scots carried things in the folds to the rear of the great kilt, in lieu of handbags or purses (although one might have put a coin purse into the folds). This practice was carried on even if a sporran, a purse like bag, was worn.

Note: This highland soldier features a great kilt and a sporran near his hip (the sporran is the original Scottish purse, normally worn directly in front). The hanging portion of material behind the sash housed the "pocket" of the kilt.

Whenever you need a simple bag to throw stuff in and just go, or when you need a convenient, reusable bag for the market, totes are a simple alternative to more complex bags, and they save the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags when you make purchases.

You can even use your totes when shopping for more handbags and purses!

Of course, just because totes don't typically have zippers, snaps and fancy pockets, they don't have to be simple canvas bags. Many totes nowadays have some serious style, including all the functionality of any other purse or handbag, and can be made from the finest materials, in all of your favorite designer colors.

Even so, because of their size and fill-ability (it's a word, I checked), totes can and should be used to do your part to save the environment, while looking good in the process.

Whether it's cultural, regional influences or people just like making up new words, there are a lot of different names for bags, that pretty much describe the same bags.

Of course, bag is a general term for any enclosure that will hold stuff.

Regardless, here are all the bag names and what they do. If you can think of anymore, let me know.

Attachés and briefcases - The usually hardcased business bag that were popular through the 90s, but have fallen out of favor. Softer versions are gaining in popularity and often being replaced by laptop/netbook computer bags or messenger bags. Attaché is French for "look at me, I'm off to work"*.

Duffel bags, gear bags, kit bags - generally soft-sided, barrel shaped bags with hand straps and/or shoulder straps designed to carry stuff casually. Gear and kit bags may be specifically designed for stuff taken to the gym or sports field, or designed to house military or police gear.

Backpacks, with straps to be worn on the back (eyeroll) are usually used for the same purposes and are often specialized for hiking, camping, travel and more. Haversacks and rucksacks fall in this category and are worn on the back as well.

Carry-ons can be similar to duffel bags, but have more style and are sized for convenience, short trips, and are ideally suited to fitting into airplane cabins.

Handbags, purses and pocketbooks are definitely variable depending on region. In the U.S., women are more likely to carry purses, whereas British women are more likely to have handbags, and consider purses to be what you put money in. Pocketbooks also have some variety in concept, whereas some women describe their purses or handbags as pocketbooks, where others consider the pocketbook that little folding bag that contains credit cards, checkbook and money (and men call a big fat inconvenient wallet).

Totes tend to be bigger bags with straps to be worn on the shoulder, but not big looping shoulder straps like a duffel bag. Totes are simple in design, usually made from cotton, canvas or similar material, but fancier purse-like totes can be made with luxury embellishments and have more functionality even though you probably wouldn' t put groceries in your Louis Vuitton tote.

Satchels are leather or canvas shoulder bags that have been popular a long time with men, and are now tending to replace briefcases for business. Stylish messenger bags and so-called man-bags tend to be of this style.

Professional messenger bags used by actual messengers and couriers tend to be worn on the back, rather than slung over the shoulder or across the back and are windproof and waterproof.

Suitcases are bigger bags designed for long term travel with a hollow, rigid inner space, designed to be packed easily, zipped shut and locked. Most suitcases are soft-sided, but more expensive models are hard-cased to better withstand the rigors of travel. Suitcases come in multiple sizes, usually as part of a matching set.

*Really.