When Your Cute Handbag Turns Into a Not-So-Cute Situation

Gone were the days when I used to stuff my whole life into a handbag without a care in the world. Somewhere along the way, something shifted as I grew older. What had once been a bird’s nest of my cellphone, wallet, makeup bag, granola bars, pens, daily planner, and an iPod, now became just the basics of a single lipstick, driving glasses, wallet, and my phone.

While I don’t consider myself a minimalist when it comes to style, ironically I felt that the content of my handbag was starting to reflect the opposite. It wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, it made my life easier. I wasn’t constantly digging around in my bag, taking things out in the process, just to find that one thing I needed had somehow sunk to the very bottom.

However, as the amount of items in my handbag decreased, I realized that the amount of space increased to the point where I felt odd carrying a massive handbag that had a single lipstick that kept rolling around every time I took a step. Don’t get me wrong, I still love satchels and shoulder bags, but it was around that time that a smaller crossbody style was just the thing that I needed in my life.

I thought a crossbody would make my life easier. In many ways, it did. It made shopping easier in the way that it never slid off of my shoulder while I was looking through racks of clothes. It even made me feel better about the security of my possessions when I used it to travel or took trips into the city! The only major problem that I faced was the wallet issue.

Maybe you’ve faced the same problem at some point in your life, too! You get excited over your new crossbody find thinking, “It’s so cute! It’s going to make my life so much easier!” And then you get to the moment where you pull back the top zipper, get ready to transfer all of your items into your new bag, and then realize that not even a vacuum sealer can make your wallet fit.

It’s one of the main problems that I’ve noticed when using different types of crossbody bags. Some are lucky enough to have a single card slot sewn in, but most times you’re left wishing that it had more options for card organization other than the one zippered pocket on the inside lining. For the longest time, I made do with the wallet that I already had, though it was a very tight squeeze paired with my glasses, phone, and lipstick. Though, it wasn’t until I had an oval-shaped crossbody that I realized that my current wallet wouldn’t fit at all.

Not too long ago, my brother let me have an old wallet of his that he no longer uses and it ended up being the perfect fit! I don’t know why it never occurred to me to use a men’s wallet before, but it works out perfectly for smaller crossbody styles because of it’s small, slender shape! (And of course, it has plenty of card slots!) Maybe things just work out when you least expect it.

 

What’s your favorite handbag style? Have you ever tried something unexpected in fashion that ended up working out?

 

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