Novelty Purses

So, I have a weird confession to make: I'm a little obsessed with novelty purses. If I weren't a poor college student, I would love to have a ridiculously shaped purse for every occasion, whim and holiday. Instead, I have settled for a small collection: a book, a rainbow, a peppermint, a smiley face, an ace of hearts, and a ladybug. If you think those are random shapes, let me introduce you to the weird and wonderful world of novelty bags, where the options range from any food item you could possibly think of to the Beauty and the Beast rose jar container to a takeout Chinese food container and beyond. If you can think of a fun object, it's probably been made into a purse at this point.

And the craziest thing is that these novelty purses are often from luxury brands, too: Chanel, Kate Spade, Judith Lieber, etc. And they can sell for up to thousands of dollars! Most of the time these bags contain very little room for carrying things, are in odd to carry shapes, and besides, who would pay thousands of dollars for a bedazzled cupcake?

I definitely don't pay thousands of dollars for an impractical novelty purse. Instead, I consider them an economical alternative to luxurious purses for expressing my style. While a nice, expensive handbag can convey sophistication and good taste, they are, well, expensive. For a college student, they are often impractical and out of the affordable price range. Novelty bags can also allow you to express yourself, come in all price ranges, and are good conversation starters. After all, if your bag is something out of the ordinary, then it's easy for someone to ask you about it. It's a shortcut to having a truly unique look.

With novelty bags becoming more popular these days (especially on Instagram), there are more cheaper options available than ever! While I've stumbled across some of mine at places like Marshall's, some reliable brands with large varieties are ASOS, Modcloth, Unique Vintage, NastyGal, and Betsey Johnson. If you want something Disney-related, then look for Danielle Nicole's bags.

If you'd love to rock a novelty purse and aren't sure what to wear it with or are shy about wearing it on a daily basis, don't be! When it comes to what you can wear it with, the only limit is your imagination! I generally stick to the fashion rule of color coordination (which means that yes, the rainbow purse goes with everything), but go with whatever you're comfortable with. And as for standing out, it's in a good way! You may occasionally get a question about why you chose that object, but you're also likely to collect compliments about it. As Dr. Seuss said, "why fit in when you were born to stand out?"

Go rock those novelty purses with pride!

Kaitlyn Dietlin

FAST Blogger