Purse

(Redirected from Handbags)

This article is about purses and handbags. For the race track term, see Purse Distribution. For monetary reward in a competition, see prize money. Purse is also a pronunciation for the surname Peirce.

Purses, such as this one by Burberry, are fashion accessories with a function.

In American English, a purse is a small bag, also called a handbag.

In British English, a purse is a small money container similar to a wallet, but typically used by women and including a compartment for coins, with a handbag being considerably larger.

A purse or handbag is often fashionably-designed, and is used to hold a number of items such as a wallet, keys, tissues, makeup, a hairbrush, feminine products, or other items.

Variations

Purses are usually carried by women, though men sometimes carry one as a smaller alternative to a backpack; such a purse is sometimes self-consciously termed a "murse" or "manbag" ( portmanteaus "man" with "purse" and "handbag" respectively). It can also be bluntly called a "man-purse".

Crocodile skin handbags in a conservation exhibit at Bristol Zoo, England

Coin purses are small purses, just large enough to hold money and cards.

A medium-to-small-sized purse with a short handle, designed to be carried (clutched) in one's hand is often called a clutch.

A larger purse with two handles is often called a tote.

A pocketbook is similar to a purse (in the British English sense), but allows the carrying of sheets of paper as well.

A security purse is designed to protect the carrier from travel theft. The purse includes a invisible stainless steel strap sewned into the fabric and a protectant on the main zipper.

Guide to types of handbags

• Hobo:
• Clutch: Small, usually evening bag without a handle
• Satchel: large bag with small handle that is carried on the arm rather than on the shoulder
• Duffle: A large bag usually used for travel or sports
• Shopper:
• Tote:
• Purse:
• Cross body:

Trivia

• A handbag was a key prop in the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Ernest, from which comes the famous line: "In a handbag!"

See also

• Birkin Bag
• It Bag
• Louis Vuitton

Look up purse in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

External links

• [1] - How to Spot Fake Purses on eBay

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