Knowing when you are getting into girl mode !

[Teresa]

I didn't expect to love handbags as much when I started going out, but I see why girls love them now !

Last Friday night everything kept falling out so I know I'm really getting into girl mode now because I've had to go out and buy bigger ones .

I'm sure others can think of things that you're getting into more in girl mode but this one made me smile. I just can't leave charity shops alone, a lovely Debenhams black leather handbag for £4.99, and a very stylish cream one for £5.99 .

[DIANEF]

My wife got a really nice leather bag in a charity shop for £2.99 recently, I need to 'borrow' it one day!

[Rachael Leigh]

Teresa your so right, I find myself looking at purses and handbags a lot now when I'm out dressed.
Over here in the states they seem so pricey but I love looking at them. So far I've only got two I use regularly but I seem
to always be on the lookout

[Leslie Langford]

I've amassed an entire female wardrobe over the years, consisting of such a variety of diverse pieces that I now have outfits for every possible occasion, including back up pieces. Now...if only I had the opportunity to attend even a fraction of those kinds of occasions to make all this worthwhile. :daydreaming: :doh: Consequently, buying more new dresses, skirts, tops, lingerie, shoes, and wigs etc. just doesn't cut it for me the way it used to. :eek:

But accessories...scarves, gloves, hats, coats, jewelry, wallets, and to some degree, purses...yes, that's where my current passion lies. So much to mix and match; so little time... ;)

[Teresa]

Leslie,
I can't resist necklaces, and I'm trying to stop shoe buying but when I see a pair of size 8s in the charity shops at the prices they charge I can't resist them .

[Becky Blue]

Slightly off topic Teresa, but having now been out quite often with a handbag how good is it to have one place for your keys, phone money etc... Its soo frustrating when going out in guy mode stuffing things into every pocket. I now loove handbags.

Besides handbags I am much more into all jewellery and of course shoes which for me in guy mode are things to cover my feet.

[Lana Mae]

Be careful, Teresa! Handbags(purses)are addictive just like shoes!!! I only have 4 but am always looking at them and wanting to buy! Hugs Lana Mae

[Leslie Mary S]

Just bought a new purse yesterday. even paid full price for it.

[Teresa]

Lana,
Just checked and now I have 7. :- 3 in black, 1 in navy blue, 1 in tan , 1 in cream and a lovely leather patchwork one in red .

Becky,
I might even consider a man bag because of having everything in one place rather than scattered in different pockets . If I get much meaner in in male mode I might have to start wearing some of my low wedges in drab, I just have no interest in buying male things .

[GretchenM]

I always carry a bag now. Not a distinctly women's purse, but rather an over the shoulder Swiss Army brand bag I got at Target. Lots of compartments and not too big. As Becky said, filling your pockets with all kinds of stuff really doesn't work very well. In the bag I carry a women's style wallet, but it is a fabric and leather wallet in a Native American design on the fabric. Very nice. I also carry all kinds of other things like a small flashlight, compact folding tools, hand lens (I'm a botanist), notebook, pens and pencils, collecting bags, phone, and quite a bit more. If I managed to get that much in my pockets somehow I would have a paparazzi moment when my pants would fall down around my ankles. The gals have the right idea in both bag and wallet. You can carry so much more and it is all in one place. I see more and more men around Denver carrying bags. It is the only way to fly. Women's practicality often is very wise. Is it a gender statement as well? Perhaps, but not obvious except that it is practical and women often are really good at the practical. Do other's see it as a gender statement? I think some do, but I think most just think it is different. If someone asks about it I will always tell them they ought to try it. You will never go back to pockets.

[Teresa]

Gretchen,
I do see it as a gender statement, the first time I went out to my social meeting was the first time using a handbag to me that was the final female statement, I had no option to use one when wearing a long ballgown, to me it doesn't get any more feminine than that . I had perfume and lipstick, spare stockings plus the usual keys , phone and purse i had never experienced any of these feeling before .

[kayegirl]

Oh Teresa, you were going so well with this thread until you introduced the dreaded "man bag" phrase. I never go anywhere without my hand or shoulder bag, I've used them since my first trip to France around 1986. Got a collection of 12 or so, some distinctly ladies handbags, others more unisex, but I have never seen using one as a gender statement, more a statement of practicality.

[Alice B]

Once I started to go out I quickly learned that I had to have a purse. So, my wife gave me a small, black one to use. But when I put in my powder. lipstick, small wallet with licence, credit cards, etc, cash, smokes, lighter and car keys in it things started to fall out. Thus I got a bigger one. Now I know why woman can never find things in their bags. Guess it goes with the territory.

[Scarlett398]

Now you girls know purses take up a lot of room. Thank God my wife loves purses so I don't have to spend any storage room in my closet to collect a pile of purses. Don't get me wrong, If I didn't have a sexy wife who was hooked on purses, I would have one heck of a collection of them. I don't own one and have a ton of them to choose from in my redhead's closet.
Teresa is right, once you make the move to go public, you can't roll without a purse! One question I do have as far as purses go - What if I were going out by myself, which when I've gone public I have only traveled alone, what do you do with your purse if you go to one of the popular bars down town and want to get up and dance? How can you keep your purse and what's in it safe when you are flying solo and wanting to dance? Sincerely Scarlett:cowdance:

[Teresa]

Scarlet ,
It's a good question,I left my bag on the table with my drink at the Xmas party, everyone else was doing the same, including the GGs from the other parties, being alone in a bar and dancing not so sure .

Kaye,
Sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone by referring to man bags, to answer the question no I won't be using one .

[Georgina]

Always thought it was an easy way to loose everything at once.

[Rhonda Jean]

For years (decades) I only carried a purse in girl mode, and only because other girls did. I wasn't crazy about them, didn't know what to put in them, and really had no taste or preference for one style or brand over any other. Then I started dating a girl who was way into purses, and I caught the bug! She shopped for purses everywhere we went, and I began to understand why you'd prefer one over the other. I started to notices other women's purses, and brands started to mean something to me. If we were out together and I was in male mode, I started carrying her purse for her, and I started to love it! I started borrowing her purses for girl mode, too, as hers were nicer than mine.

I really wanted to carry a purse in male mode. I loved carrying hers when we were together, but I wanted to carry one all the time, and I really wanted us both to carry purses when we were together (when I was in male mode). I probably didn't hide that desire very well. She bought me on for my birthday. Not a man bag. A purse I'd fallen for on one of our shopping trips. Since then I've bought a few more. All nicer than anything I ever bought before I got into them as I am now. I enjoy carrying one in male mode at least as much as girl mode. Probably more.

A lot of us like to have that "something" that's with us all the time. Just a little reminder. To some it's hidden, and only we know it's there. Panties or toes polished, for instance. For others it's a little more obvious. Long hair, earrings, polished fingernails, for instance. Important little personal things that just kinda keep you engaged with your fem side. My hair was that for me. Now that I cut my hair, I think the purse has kinda taken over that role. It's a statement, a conversation piece, a nod to my girl side, and a security blanket all in one. I love every thing about it!

[Alice B]

I'm by natue a social person and at a bar get to know those seated around me.If I need to get up to do something I ask someone to keep an eye on my purse. Has never been a problem. The other soultion is to ask the bar tender to put your puse behind the bar until you return.

[Jaylyn]

I haven't bought but one and it was a small makeup bag to put in my handbag that my wife gave me. Lucky me she has a whole shelve full of old ones that are definitely still look good. I think she has a purse problem. A couple that are now on the shelve cost a lot of dollars ( nearly three hundred each ) I often think how many cheap heels I could have bought for that. By the way she won't let me play with the two expensive ones. I ask her if I could carry one for my deer hunting bag ....