Simplified lifestyles and smaller devices mean women no longer need huge purses.
When Florentina Duran goes out, the last thing she’s thinking about is carrying a bulky, oversized purse.
“It’s gotten out of style,” says the Baltimore-area resident. “I’m a single woman in my late 30s. There’s really no place to put it. It’s a hassle.”
Duran’s approach reflects a growing trend, according to market analysts and fashion industry experts. The days of oversized totes and larger-than-life bags appear to be waning. Instead, customers are opting for smaller handbags, wallets and other accessories.
Local designers and retailers have taken note and followed suit, producing and stocking more clutches, wristlets and crossbody bags.
“There is a demand for a bag that can carry a phone and not much more,” says Koren Ray, owner of Annapolis-based accessories brand Hobo International.
Ray says she first noticed a shift two years ago and saw it take full effect during the holidays.
“Smaller crossbodies are huge for us right now,” she says. “Even our wallets are getting smaller. With Apple Pay and everything on our phone, women are needing to carry smaller essentials. We are all looking for simplicity — a way to lighten our load.”
Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for The NPD Group, Inc., a global information company, says that in the past, buyers were driven by a collectible approach, especially when it came to designer shoes and handbags. But that trend is changing.
“The shift occurred as millennials tried to make their money stretch longer,” he says. “Practicality is ruling out over collectability. It’s not about the status anymore. It’s about the functionality.”
Experts attribute the change to a societal shift focusing on a more simplified lifestyle, coupled with the growth of mobile technology, which has led to less clutter.
“All a woman needs is lip gloss, a phone and credit cards,” says Duran.
A desire to be “organizationally focused” and have an active lifestyle has also driven the shrinkage in size, Cohen says.
“These bigger bags are not right for this active look,” he says.
At Baltimore’s Handbags In The City, owner George Sakellaris has seen an upswing in the popularity of smaller crossbody bags. While he still sells plenty of totes, he says that smaller bags account for 30 percent of the inventory in his store — up 10 percent from last year.
“They are trying to downsize so that their hands are free,” Sakellaris says of his customers. “Designers are even putting straps on the larger bags. It’s more secure.”