How to Choose the Handbag That's Right for You

As far as I'm concerned, you can't have too many handbags. There are so many wonderful sizes and colors to choose from, not to mention all the great designers out there, that I personally cannot stop with just one!

Choosing a handbag should be based on more than the color of the clothing in your closet though. While color does play a large part when choosing the perfect handbag for you, it should not be your only consideration. One other thing you will need to take into account is your body type. That's right, you need to choose your handbag so that it fits your body type. Now personally I had never heard of this before a year ago, and I used to just buy handbags based on what colors I liked and which colors I had in my wardrobe. It would never have occurred to me that being short and a bit round and having a round or square handbag might actually make me look even rounder.

As like most women my metabolism slowed down as I approached 35 and I swear now it feels like it's almost nonexistent! I continued to choose bags which were in my favorite style which was with a long handle so I could fit it over my shoulder and a thin rectangular shape. However, you are actually supposed to pick a bag that is the opposite of your body shape. If you are a bit heavier as I am then you should pick bags that are thin, slim and longer shaped. If you are tall and slender, then you want a handbag that is round or square. The idea behind this is to make your body shape appear as you want it to. Women who are shorter and rounder tend to want to look thinner and taller, and a bag with a slim and long shape will help to give this illusion. The same goes for the tall and slender woman who may want to look a little more fleshed out and shorter, a round or square handbag can help to give this illusion.

Fashion experts also suggest having a handbag for each outfit, unless of course you have a lot of clothes in one color, red for example, then having one bag for those outfits is fine. They also suggest steering clear of prints because they are more difficult to match to your clothing unless most of what you own is in solid colors. Then prints are fine because they won't clash with another print item you're wearing. For me personally I don't worry too much about this because as you know there is less concern in the fashion world about mixing prints and stripes and such than there used to be. While some of the fashion mavens still cling to older rules, many women are able to pull off this mixed and matched look quite well.

So, now you know how to pick out the best handbag for you based on your body shape, and your color preferences. I hope you find this information as useful as I did a year ago!