There are scores of folks that keep very up to date with the latest handbag and purse designs. After all, fashion is next to godliness, or something to that effect. Despite all that knowledge on handbag and purse designs, not many people are familiar with the history surrounding handbags. Here are three facts you might not have known about fashion handbags that you can carry with you:

1. Handbag Styles Have Been Around for a Long Time

How old do you think handbags are as a convention? Perhaps you think they were brought about in the 70s, or perhaps even the 50s. In point of fact, however, handbags have been around as far back as the nineteenth century when the term was first used in America to talk about the bag someone would use to carry their things for short term travels. Since then, the term handbag or purse has become a bit more encompassing and the original definition would probably be more properly suited by the term “overnight bag.”

2. Handbag Designs Were an International Phenomenon

Though the term first found popularity in America, it was by no means limited to that continent. France, as always, was very quick to pick up on the latest trends. There are actually records that Napoleon III of France, the king at the time, had a man specifically employed to handle his wholesale bags.

3. They are Ingrained in Culture Today

As much as they were in the vogue then, handbags have definitely not lost any popularity in the world. Even today, surveys find that 75% of women indicate they have a favorite handbag. While handbags may be used to carry your things, now people carry them in their hearts. What do you think of handbags?