If you want to know her secrets, look inside her handbag

If you're one of those people who is forever scrabbling around to find essentials in your handbag, it might be time to downsize, according to the trend-watchers. Then again, having a big bag isn't necessarily a bad thing, finds Julie Jacobson.

Who would have thought? It's not Kate or her much-photographed sister channelling the zeitgeist, but the Queen.
The 85-year-old's appearance at her grandson's wedding, with trusty Launer London handbag slung over her arm, has sparked a buying frenzy among the fashioneratti, with sales of the company's traditional handbag styles up 60 per cent.
Betty's bag could hardly be described as avant-garde, but it's exactly what we're gagging for, apparently. Said Launer London in a press release: "It shows a real move towards more reserved and understated bags after the It Bag movement."
Ironically, the display of big-label bags - especially Anya Hindmarch - at the royal wedding is also believed to be behind a spate of robberies in central London, where thieves on stolen scooters last week smashed into several designer stores and fled with $300,000 worth of Gucci and Hindmarch bags.
So what's the attraction? Essentially hold-alls for the clutter of daily life, handbags have, over the years, become bigger and bigger. Think back to the days of real glamour; the Grace Kelly/Marilyn Monroe era. Ever see them struggling under the weight of some gigantic sack? And men manage without them.
Work colleagues - one of whom has a spare pair of socks, playing cards, a plastic spoon, her passport, a camera and two clothesbrushes in her bag, among other things; the other who is a bloke - theorise that it's all about pockets. Men's clothes have them, women's often don't.
That doesn't explain, of course, why women feel they have to carry more than the essentials, or why they have to have a different bag for work, shopping, going to dinner, or clubbing. Marc Wilson, of Victoria University's School of Psychology, suggests bags, like other consumer items, can be "status-markers".
"First and foremost they have an instrumental function - they are a place to keep stuff ... Whether we choose a recyclable shopping bag or a Prada original to achieve this comes down to expressive function - do we care what our bag says about us, and specifically what do we want it to say? Designer labels express our sophistication (or desire to be seen as sophisticated), street labels might express our counter-cultural identity.
"A few years back it became quite trendy for tweens to use Supre bags, and that signalled a bunch of things - such as how current you were in your fashion. Bags locate us in the social hierarchy."
They also "genderise" us. "Men are lucky in that they don't experience the social pressures or realities that require them to have makeup, feminine hygiene items or a spare pair of stockings easily to hand.
"Face it," Wilson says, referring to the infamous Tana Umaga incident at a Christchurch bar, "the closest an All Black will get to a girl's handbag is whacking someone with one."
Currently in Boston, Wilson points out that large numbers of men in the US wear belt pouches and belt clips with various items hanging off them.
But back to the Queen's bag. It's been reported that among the goodies she carries in it are a hankie, comb, compact, doggie titbits, lucky charms and mints. The small size of the bag and the meagerness of its contents suggests HRH is "conscientious and high in emotional stability", says Wilson. Got a large bag? Then you're likely to be conscientious but low in emotional stability or, as Wilson puts it, "neurotic".
"You'll worry about not being prepared and you never throw anything out 'just in case'. At the same time, if you're particularly unconscientious then you'll be one of those people who adds and adds to the clutter in your bag - you'll have five different lipsticks because you forgot you already had four in there or you couldn't find them among the debris."
After two years of looking she called it researching what women carry in their bags author and social analyst Kathryn Eisman found 40 different personality types and categorised them into four main archetypes: minimal - rational types who carry small bags; creative - likely to have large "bottomless pits" full of random items; prepared - efficient types who carry practical items; expressive - caring but with a wild side, they will carry items which could be useful to others, such as plasters, along with trinkets and possibly a book or magazine.
Says Eisman: "Forget looking into a woman's eyes. If you want to know her secrets, look inside her handbag."
Kiwi designer Roanne Jacobson, whose Saben bags are sold worldwide, has a coat rack by her front door laden with bags which, she says, "are changed as often as my outfits". Today her satchel (a self-designed Freya) is bulging with snacks for her children, sunglasses, a phone, lipgloss, curl serum, a wallet from her new range and "some paperwork I really should get on to".
She says Saben's most popular style is currently the Jessie, a smallish leather bag with a chain handle. Looking forward, oversized carry-alls are being stowed away and people are opting for minimalist clutches for daytime.
That might not wash in the Bay. A survey of busy local women proved that practicality - and volume - are still key virtues of the perfect handbag.
So what's in it?
Lilia Cass, Sisters' in-house fashion designer and store manager of Sisters on Grange: Deadly Ponies bag, designed by Liam Bowden.
- Fashion Quarterly mag: This is my little obsession; I always carry [it] around until the next one comes out.
- Diary: A must-have to keep organised and in case I need to do sketches.
- Measuring tape: You'd be surprised how often I need to use this.
- Can of tuna and some trail mix: Tuna is a great healthy snack to have with crackers - but I ran out of crackers so this has been in here for a couple of weeks.
- Tampons
- Glass water bottle: I got this from Grange Road Cafe. I love sparkling water, but I have been using this bottle for plain water since I don't like plastic bottles.
- Karen Walker sunglasses
- Mechanical pencil and ink pen: I use these for pattern-making and to look professional.
- Deodorant: Living Nature organic. I like this because it is chemical-free and in a jar, not roll-on.
- Smashbox Bronze Lights and brush: For a quick re-touch.
- Keys: For home, shop and car, on cool key-ring man.
- Floral wallet: From Bali. My mum didn't want it so she passed it on to me.
She says: I have about 12 bags, including little going-out ones, but I usually just swap between four main ones. The Deadly Ponies is my newest one - I bought it three weeks ago.
Sheryl Dawson, CEO BoP Magic netball: Braccalini handbag, bought in Milan.
- Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Brooch
- Netball New Zealand Life Member badge
- ANZ Netball Championship Workforce Accreditation
- Tickets: To deliver to fans for the preliminary final at Mystery Creek.
- Spare jewellery: Who knows why that's in there?
- Wallet: From Milan. An adventure in itself.
- Bottle of water
- Camera: In case we need to snap a netball activity at short notice.
- Peppermint teabag: Great for when others don't have them.
- Three pairs of glasses: One for reading, one for using the computer and Maui Jim sunglasses.
- Glasses cleaner pack
- Lipstick and gloss: Clinique bright-red lipstick and Just Apple lipgloss, plus some Blistex.
- Passport: So I'm ready to go anywhere should the chance arise.
- Baggage tag
- Letter and card from friends
- Red Nose Ale coaster: I forgot it was there. It's from a bar in New York.
- Petrol vouchers: In case a team or parent needs them.
- Chequebook
- iPad: For keeping in touch when I'm not in the office.
- Cellphone and spare Sim card: Essential for work.
- Panadol, Losec and Elastoplast
- Eight pens
- Post-it notes
- Car and office keys
She says: I only have one bag, plus a couple of smaller evening handbags.
Natalie Bridges, PR consultant, wife of MP Simon Bridges: Linea Pelle handbag.

- Estee Lauder eyeshadow palette: Allows me to touch up my eyes throughout the day.
- Bella Vi foundation
- Two lipsticks: I like layering my lipsticks, so I use Chanel in Jersey Rose as the base and then Aventure. The black-and-gold casing is unmistakable luxury.
- Balenciaga sunglasses: I might look like Elton John in these, but at least people notice them.
- Chequebook: I'm a technophobe at heart.
- Leopard-print umbrella: It's fun.
- OPI nail polish: I'm always chipping my nails. I'm into dark, dramatic and sultry at the moment.
- Nimue sunscreen: I have very sensitive English skin, which means I have to wear a light SPF all year.
- Business cards
- A mintie: For fresh breath, plus I just love them.
- Hand sanitiser
- Kikki.K filofax: No matter how sophisticated the electronic diary is, I totally rely on my paper diary to organise my life.
- Wallet: A very special gift from Louis Vuitton when I was editor of Simply You magazine.
- BlackBerry
- OPI cuticle oil: I apply this a couple of times a day when I have mind-blocks at my computer.
- Name badge: From the National Party conference I was at on the weekend.
- Dangly earrings: In case I need to dress up at the last moment.
- Perfume: Yves Saint Laurent Belle Opium.
She says: The most I've paid for a handbag was $700 for an Ann Demeulemeester handbag. It was on sale. My oldest handbag is a slouchy leather one from Mango. I love that the leather is marked with all the places it has been.