Today, every woman must own at least a few handbags, and in fact this accessory is an important (if not the most important) part of her wardrobe and it is also at least as important as owning exotic shoes and fancy apparel. Originally, this accessory seems to have originated in Egypt.
There are many references to these ladies’ accessories and which were also depicted in early Egyptian hieroglyphs. It is also not wrong to presume that the earliest handbags were simply made out of small pieces of animal skins into which the primeval humans of the time placed their stuff and then tied the corners with perhaps a leather thong or something equally inventive.
Paucity of Material
Another aspect to the early handbag is that in those early times, there was a paucity of materials from which to make them and these accessories also were very limited in their functionality. However, somewhere down the line, someone must have come up with more innovative ideas and thus would have given birth to the idea of creating a handbag that was unique and quite different from the usual ones and thus fashion became another important feature of those early women’s accessories.
In fact, in an era spanning the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth and even seventeenth centuries, the handbags of the time depended to a large extent on a few materials and to a limited manufacturing process. In fact, it would not be wrong to also presume that only the rich could afford the more exotic handbags of the time.
That is, until the eighteenth century when women began to wear daintier clothes and did away with their bulky undergarments as well. This in turn, led to considerably constraining the number of places where they could hide their pouches. This meant that they needed to have a separate bag thereby, in effect giving birth to the modern handbag.
From the eighteenth century onwards, it has become commonplace as well as fashionable for women to sport handbags that not only helped them carry a few prized possessions, but which also had to match with the dress that they were wearing. It was a major event in the world of women’s fashion as well as in the evolution of the handbag.
The fifties in turn saw a mushrooming of designer handbags. Although today the very concept of what a handbag means to a woman has changed quite radically from what it was in those early days when they simply were the most convenient means of carrying a few odds and ends and of course, to also carry whatever coins one possessed.
JanSport Classic SuperBreak BackpackBoasting a sturdy 600-denier polyester construction and a stylish exterior, the JanSport SuperBreak backpack easily and comfortably carries your gear for years to come. The utilitarian pack offers a single main compartment and a front pocket with an organizer, giving it enough space to store two to three textbooks, a large binder, two to three spiral notebooks, several paperbacks, a calculator, pens and pencils, a bag lunch, a cell phone, and an MP3 player--all without breaking a sweat. In addition, the SuperBreak is comfortable enough for a full day of striding from class to class, with straight-cut, padded shoulder straps and a 2/3-padded back panel for cushioning comfort. Also outfitted with a web haul loop along the top, the SuperBreak carries a lifetime warranty. Specifications:
- Capacity: 1,551.2 cubic inches / 25.42 liters
- Dimensions: 13 by 16.7 by 8.5 inches (W x H x D)
- Weight: 12 ounces
For more than 30 years, JanSport has created products to help you carry the stuff you need, where you need it, in the most functional and fashionable way possible. JanSport's success extends around the globe and into walks of life that are as varied as the company's product offering. JanSport's goal is to design, engineer, manufacture, and market products that can help you get from point A to point B, wherever that may be. And the company wants to help you get there in the most functional way possible. Realizing that the pack that carries your books to school might be the same backpack that carries your gear on a Saturday day hike, JanSport incorporates flexibility into each and every design. The company is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, with offices in the U.S. and Europe.
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