Have you ever thought about the number of pockets in clothes, and how this might well add up to being similar to a bag in terms of size? Outdoors fan Sara Stringer has been pondering this concept.
You could view pockets as tiny bags sewn into your clothes. And men are very familiar with these little pockets because so many of their clothes have pockets fitted as standard. The average pair of men’s trousers has at least four pockets. Sometimes, there is a fifth pocket where no-one actually keeps coins or pocket watches. It doesn’t matter. The fifth pocket is still there, even in dress trousers.
That is not the limit to man’s embarrassing riches of pockets. Shirts carry one to two pockets. And don’t even get me started on jackets. The ScottEVest line of jackets sports 17 or more pockets. My point is that if you add all the pockets together, it makes for a decent sized bag.
Ladies’ clothing, on the other hand, comes with far fewer pockets. In fact, is common for a fully suited woman to be dressed to the nines with no pockets whatsoever. While some ladies would welcome pockets, others would reject them on the basis of fashion. Bulging pockets ruin curves. Thus, some ladies prefer to carry their pockets externally in the form of bags.
The utility of a carry bag is undeniable. Often we are tasked to carry a number of items, some of which can be quite bulky, but that is no excuse for being encumbered with an ugly beast of burden.
In the same vain, lugging around multiple purses, totes and backpacks can turn you into an over-burdened “bag lady”. Here are a few recommendations:
Sports Bags
Sporting totes have been around for a long time. Campers, hikers, and bikers often wear them on their backs, so to give their hands and arms freedom of movement.
Athletes in any sport, from tennis to baseball, use bags to conveniently store and carry all the equipment needed to play and train for their sport. Many companies have taken it upon themselves to transform the traditional rucksack into something a bit more fashionable.
The good news is that those other sports, like tennis, are getting the fashion treatment as well. These ladies’ tennis bags provide a very good example of how much fashion has been infused with sports. From traditional-looking totes to high-end Court Couture, there is a fashionable tennis bag for every occasion, even if that occasion is centre court at Wimbledon.
Work Bags
You want a bag that does it all with space for work stuff and personal stuff such as these designer office bags. Coakley’s 3-in-1 approach combines purse, briefcase and laptop case to help eliminate the bag lady syndrome. They offer various styles from suede totes to leather hobos.
Other business bags for ladies include the Kailo Chic with environmentally friendly, water-based dye canvas. Still others come in pink, with a part of the proceeds going to breast cancer research. When preparing for work, women no longer need choose between style and utility.
Travel Bags
There is a lot to consider when choosing the perfect travel bags for ladies. There is no shortage of fashionable travel bags. In fact, when it comes to travel, fashion may be a negative. The last thing you want to do is advertise to would-be thieves that you can afford expensive designer bags when you are travelling.
For safety reasons, travel may be one of those areas where utility needs to be prioritised.
So you can see, the options for sports, work and travel bags are plentiful.
* Thank you to Sara Stringer for contributing this post.