If a bag was a mere vessel to contain the paraphernalia we seem to require on every journey out of the house, we'd all be walking around carrying plastic Tesco bags. And we all know that even these are inferior to their canvas tote counterparts for the very purpose they were invented!
In her new book, The Meaning of Sunglasses, and a Guide to Almost All Things Fashionable, The Guardian's deputy fashion editor Hadley Freeman explores the fact that the handbag has seriously surpassed mere function and become an object of affection for every fashionista worth her Maldon salt. In the chapter entitled 'Bags: a word or ten thereon', Freeman declares, 'why [women] love bags is pretty much for the same reason they love shoes: they don't make you feel fat, you don't have to try them on [...] and they don't necessarily suit Kate Moss any better than you'.
Indeed, Freeman has hit the nail on the head. We love handbags because they allow us to carry out a passionate love affair with fashion regardless of whether your legs are too chunky for light denim, your organs take up too much space to cinch in your waist too far, or you somehow just can't pull off wild, painterly stroked fabrics!
Freeman goes on to consider the justification of expensive designer bags is perhaps because we can get more use out of them than a cheaper designer dress, but then abandons the idea to unabashedly admit that we spend money on them because we love them.
This is the tone that the whole of The Meaning of Sunglasses takes. Freeman is unashamed in her address of the vacuous nature of fashion, and with incredible wit and attention to detail, she celebrates the indulgent side of fashion and as she discussed in a recent interview with Catwalk Queen's very own Isabelle, the notion of dressing to please yourself.
The Meaning of Sunglasses is a must, whether you are passionate about fashion, or are just looking for a witty, intelligent examination of one of our culture's biggest obsessions.