Types of handbags

An 1875 Chatelaine bag, with a buckram frame and velvet body. It would have been "hooked" into the waist of the skirt.

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

As a fashion accessory, handbags can be categorized according to the silhouette of the bag, as well as the type of handle. The current popular handbag silhouettes are (as of 2011):

• Baguette: a small, narrow, rectangular shape purse, resembling a French loaf of bread (baguette)
• Barrel: shaped like a barrel or closed tube, usually with shoulder-length straps
• Bowling bag purse: a popular 1990s "retro" style for younger women, modelled after American bags used to carry bowling balls
• Bucket bag: shaped like a bucket, medium-size or large, with shoulder straps and a drawstring closure
• Clutch: a handbag without handles, rectangular in shape, often an evening bag but used during the day as well
• Doctor's bag: modelled after a Victorian era doctor's bag for making housecalls
• Drawstring: a purse that closes with a drawstring at the top, may have wrist- or shoulder-length straps, popular as an evening bag style
• Half-moon: shaped as a half-moon
• Hobo: medium-size crescent-shaped bag with a top zipper and often a slouch or dip in the centre; a modern, casual silhouette
• Lighted: a handbag with a lighting system which has been attempted since the 1950s without success until recently when in 2011 the first successful lighted handbag was brought to market.
• Messenger bag: one long strap worn across the body, inspired by bags worn by urban messengers to deliver business mail, a modern silhouette
• Minaudière: a small rectangular evening bag, usually hard-bodied, sometimes held inside a soft fabric bag that serves as a sleeve
• Muff: a winter bag made of real or faux fur, wool or velvet that has zippered compartments and a slip opening for hands
• Pocketbook: small purse, rectangular shape
• Saddle purse: shaped like a horse saddle, may have equestrian motifs and hardware to emphasize the design
• Satchel: a soft-sided case usually of leather
• Tote: medium to large bag with two straps and an open top
• Trapezoid: shaped as a trapezoid, usually made of stiff material

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