What is your purse-onality?

Handbags are one of the staples in a woman’s life.

Many call them the perfect melding of fashion and function.

They not only look good flung over your shoulder or clutched in your hand, they can also reveal a lot about the women carrying them.

According to Personal Brand Style Consultant Darcey Howard, the type of handbag a woman carries creates a "purse-onality."

We asked her to shed some light on these top five purse favorites:

 

The Clutch:
Howard says a woman carrying a clutch conveys the utmost in confidence and efficiency.

“At first blush you may think that this envelope toting fashionista falls into the high-maintenance category," she says. "But in reality, they know themselves well enough to breeze through the day with only the absolute essentials for making their life strut like [a] pair of Manolos.”

Howard says the clutch is the favorite of shoe designers, sales reps, bankers and anyone who doesn’t mince their words.

“If they need to write something down, they've got the moxi to just ask someone else to do it and email it to them later,” she says.

 

 

Tote:
This woman is organized.

Band-Aids? Check! Pocket knife? Check! Hand Santizer? Check!

"This isn't a 'catch-all' bag for the woman carrying a tote," Howard says. "Make no mistake about it, she has every pocket assigned, and uses a label maker to do it.”

This woman is buttoned up. “There's nothing loose about this girl; not her thoughts or her coins,” she says.

Howard claims this is the preferred bag of professional organizers, wedding planners, personal concierges, and executive assistants.

Howard says this is the kind of woman we all secretly wish we could be or could at least hire.

 

 

 Designer Handbag:
This woman may have spent a fortune on her bag, but Howard says she may be trying to hide something because of it.

“Large logos that are big enough to hide behind?! If that's where you take solace on the street, then make sure it's a designer that you can relate to on a personal level,” says Howard.

She says if you aren’t going to be your own brand, carry one that makes a statement for you.

Howard says mavens, small dog owners, philanthropic fundraisers and real estate agents all have this bag in common.

 

 

 

New York-A Bisadora messenger bag at The Bratz Forever Diamondz Lounge (Amy Sussman, Getty Images (2006)) Messenger Bag:
Howard calls the women who carry this bag Suzy Sensibility and Nancy Au Natural.

She says they “flock to the TimBuk2 outlet store and REI for a uber utilitarian messenger that allows them to commute by bike, take a hike, write a grant and pack a lunch all in one day.”

She says inside, these women are likely to find an energy bar, a change of sensible shoes and a scarf purchased on a trip to South America.

Howard says this bag is going to be slung across women who are doing honorable things, like non-profit and public policy work, grant writers, first year law students, teachers and female techies.

 

 

 

Hobo Bag:
The bottom of this bag hasn’t seen the light of day since you pulled the tissue paper out of it and the price tag came off.

Unlike the Tote Bag girl, Howard says the Hobo Bag girl is an unapologetic catch all.

“Let’s face it, her purse may be a disaster but this is the friend you love the most, the girl at work you want to go to Happy Hour with, the gal who’s style you want to emulate and the chick that is never on time but you’ve come to love and expect it,” says Howard.

She says women carrying this bag are usually graphic designers, style consultants, marketing managers, recruiters or journalists.

No matter what bag you carry, it makes a statement.

But are you sending the message you are trying to send? Sign up and then click 'add a comment' below to tell us if your bag matches your purse-onality.