After all that faffing about with my wardrobe and fashion advice last week, for some reason the list of must-have bags in one of the Trinny & Suzanna books stuck in my head. I can’t recall exactly how it goes, but it included a brown day bag, a black day bag, a nice going out bag big enough to carry all essentials, a big tote, a smaller evening clutch or three to match your dresses, and a teeny tiny bag you can wear while dancing.

I’ve always had one go-everywhere bag (usually black) that I wear until it falls apart, too many totes and a handful of little evening bags that mostly don’t get used. So was there any reason to change?

There’s sense in having a second not-black bag, especially as I wear lighter colours in summer. Currently I’m using a brown satchel I bought at the Camberwell Market in summer, and a black day bag for winter. Thanks to a bag insert it’s an easy thing to switch over. So all set there. (Until one breaks.)

I have a nicer bag – my Jubly Umph anatomical heart bag – that I can use for going out, which the bag insert also fits.

Totes I have plenty of. Free totes attach themselves to me all the time. I have my favourites and I’m already in the habit of passing anything I don’t love to people who’ll like them better, or to the op shop.

So when it comes to big bags, I’m sorted. When it comes to small ones, however, things are a bit dire. I often can’t find a suitable evening bag despite having plenty of them. I have bags that I was given, inherited, bought and made, but most of them don’t work for me. Why not? Well, there are a couple I just don’t like and the rest are too casual. The former are off to the op shop, and the latter…

Basket Bag:
Yeeeeaaaars ago a friend bought a fabulous and rather expensive bag that I admired. The ex took note then bought me this cheaper but impractically small version. I can barely get my wallet in it. Which would be fine if I used it as an evening bag, but the colour doesn’t go with anything I’m likely to wear of an evening.

I had regretfully put this in the op shop pile, but then I had an idea. Recently I spruced up some old suede boots with some leather dye, so I decided to try it on the bag. It worked:

Finally, after 20 or so years, I think I will get some use out of this bag.

The Teeny Tiny Dancing Bag:
Small enough to wear on the dance floor, large enough for a hotel room key, credit card and lipstick. I recently refashioned it to match a particular skirt, which is limiting it’s usefulness.

That’s better:

Cross Stitch Bag:
Given to me by a friend years ago after she went holidaying in Bali or Thailand. A bit casual for evening, though. So I added a beaded fringe and some beading along the tip, which took a while but was worth the trouble. Now it will suit a party or a show (though not the opera!):

The Green Bag
Woven as a backup for a bag swap, in case the one I really wanted to make failed (it didn’t).

I’d never liked the handles being brown, though I was surprised to find I loved that they were big loops and clacked together in a satisfying way when hooked over my arm. Well, that was easily fixed:

Actually, I think the handles being bigger suits the bag better, too.

The Knitting Bags
These have now found their way into the evening bag collection.

I bought the green one intending to carry sock projects in it but it proved too small. Turns out it matches a top I have perfectly. The pyramid bag is an old favourite. It’s nice to know I’ll still get use out of both.

I’m really happy with how this bag cull worked out. I like the bags I have now. And instead of feeling like I need to buy a whole lot of bags, I can see there’s only one kind I do need to buy, to go with the more formal dresses: a simple black clutch.