Celebrated on October 10th every year, National Handbag Day is a day when both handbag collectors and ordinary people can enjoy a day that celebrates and honors the versatility of a bag that’s useful for carrying anything a person needs it to carry.

Although handbags come in a variety of different styles, from clutch to reticule and from purse to evening bag, all of them share the distinction of being not only utilitarian but also fashionable.

The History of National Handbag Day

National Handbag Day is a holiday that was invented in 2012 by a website named PurseBlog.com. It was created to bring attention to the common handbag and to help people find the one that suits their style the most.

The History of the Handbag

Pinning down the exact origins of the handbag can be difficult because human beings have been using pouches and sacks made from fibers to store tools and foodstuffs for the past 35,000+ years. However, we can pinpoint the time during the 18th century when the prototype of the modern purse first came into fashion.

From the Middle Ages through the 18th century, most women carried their daily essentials in their pockets. However, these pockets were very different from the pockets in men’s garments. That’s because men’s pockets were woven into their pants, while women’s pockets were accessories that were tied around their waist and under their skirts.

This arrangement was possible because most women at the time wore large, bulky skirts that were capable of hiding their pocket garments. At the end of the 18th century, fashion changed, and smaller skirts with a slimmer silhouette came into fashion.

As a result, many women had to find a replacement for the pocket sleeves they wore under their skirts. This is when the reticule was invented—a small bag that was just large enough to carry the few odds and ends that a woman might need for her day.

Unfortunately, since these early handbags were essentially pockets equipped with a handle, many people considered them to be undergarments. This resulted in some people regarding them as vulgar—as if the person was actually wearing their undergarments over their clothing.

Handbags really took off, however, with the rise of the department store. Since women were out on the town for longer periods and could meet with their friends outside of their homes more easily, the need for the handbag became even more evident. This is when larger handbags were invented to allow women to carry more items with them.

Celebrating National Handbag Day

National Handbag Day isn’t a holiday that’s strictly followed by most people. To celebrate this holiday, all a person has to do is take their favorite handbag out for a day on the town. Users can also snap a photo of their handbag and post it on social media using the hashtag #NationalHandbagDay to show everyone that they’re carrying the most stylish purse in town.