Bag ladies

My children tease me about my huge skirts because I occupy two seats in the car. The other day, I wore a stunning taffeta fuchsia Auggie Cordero skirt, like Cinderella’s. It touched the floor and even if I looked confident and carefree I worried that it would be stained. Women of bygone days wore huge skirts but never had the privilege of occupying even three seats in a vehicle. Auggie and I visualized volume and consequently claimed ownership of space.

Bellowing skirts centuries ago hid a drawstring around the waist with a pouch attached to it. It swung between the legs and thighs underneath the petticoat. The pouch contained smelling salts and herbs or relics. Why, I could have done the same to free myself from holding a handbag, or maybe even carry a dagger underneath all the tulle.

How uncomfortable a drawstring and pouch must have been. I’m sure that’s why girdles were invented, but not the tight, constricting girdles in place of a panty that I wore immediately after giving birth. When I left the Far Eastern University Hospital I wore a white girdle from my waist to my thighs. It may have been an armor but it sure worked to my benefit in later years. My tummy and muscles were so confined and compressed that my daughters wonder why I never turned blue. They’re convinced that just pushing it down and pulling it up without the help of a yaya (one or two) caused me a cervical (neck) operation. I tease them, too, and say, that’s why they have tiny pouches on their tummies, like cute hopping kangaroos.

Girdles in the 14th century were wider belts tied around the waist and worn outside a garment with a bigger pouch. The pouch, in all probability, contained a status symbol like a scent bottle, a silver card case, or even powdered poison to mix into a foe’s drink. Pouch shapes changed in design and in time they were strung on the shoulder or carried on the back.

Times change. A reduction in women’s clothing by sensible minds introduced pockets with narrower clothing. Gone were wide skirts that could conceal a pregnancy and never verify rumors. 

Reticule bags — a new name for drawstring pouches — were designed for more items like rouge, face powder, a long fan, and what-have-you. The dainty pouches became too tiny for what women wanted to carry around so that handheld luggage was conceived with compartments and locks for opera glasses and cosmetics. In time the bags got all the larger to coordinate with altered proportions such as tighter clothes, long skirts, short skirts. Fashion being fickle, skinny bags were crafted and demanded less décor, less metal frames and fewer zippers, too. It was wartime and metal was needed for bombs, guns and bullets. Pockets were used anyway and with slender silhouettes square bags tucked under the armpit became chic. When another war came about in the ‘40s, bags acquired the look of the tragic times as they did in the ‘60s with the Vietnam War. The war was capitalized on and military-like bags were fashioned and made large and women happily stuffed them. Some were even designed squarish from wood, with gas masks inside.

Bags have always responded to women’s occupations, various assignments, work, traveling or gardening. Even cloth bags are strung around women’s breasts and shoulders to carry babies while doing housework or shopping. Men liked the idea and carried waterproof canvas bags on a sling.

I have a Vuitton tote bag and I dump everything inside. I pull out a notebook, a Glad plastic bag with the day’s memo, makeup case, pencil bag and shawl.

Celestina bags are my buddies. Filipino first, right? So I bought them over time, in different shapes and different colors and décor that grab attention. Tina M. Ocampo has elegant totes of animal skin in purple, orange, black, green, red, yellow.

A last note on bags. I never cease to wonder if a live snake might emerge from China’s handbag with the volume of items she stuffs into it. Her Gucci bag, which was once mine and smuggled out of my closet, has even a frying pan.   Funny, I sometimes end up with a cheap “save the earth” catcha bag to promote the environment. Not at all expensive but useful. And when you’re established, you can carry less and it becomes more with a touch of panache. Common sense must always exist and a sense of humor to laugh at yourself.