I consider myself to be fairly Type A. I wouldn’t say I’m insanely tidy, but there is definitely organization in my life. But also, looking at my desk as I type this, there are more piles around me than I care to admit to. Overall, though, I’m fairly organized with a small tendency to build a pile or two. Sue me.
One place I truly organized myself to perfection, and have found it to be the best thing for feeling like I have my life together, is my handbag organization system.
It’s my ‘bag within a bag’ method that fixed my purse chaos. And also allowed me to get more use out of my growing handbag collection.
You know that moment when you’re rushing out the door, and you grab a different bag to work with your outfit today, versus yesterday, and halfway to wherever you’re headed you realize you don’t have your beloved Chapstick? Or the Advil you desperately need for that headache, to just realize it’s not there? Yeah, I’ve been there.
Or maybe there’s that specific type of panic where you’re at dinner and need to simply find your wallet, but you pull out loose receipts, half-used lip balms and a random hair clip you’ve never used in a desperate attempt to find your wallet. We’ve all been there.
I’m someone who likes to switch my bags up. I am always going between different bags throughout the week, depending on my outfits and where I’m headed. I think people think I’m just crazy for this, but it makes my outfits feel so much more intentional.
Sorry, but I’m not wearing the same big ol tote with every outfit. I’m making the handbag an actual part of the whole look with easy swaps. This is made possible by my bag within a bag system.
Instead of packing my purse with everything loose and messy, I use a pouch system to help me move from bag to bag. This means no matter which bag I have, and wherever I am in the city, I have everything I need.
The everything bag - This is THE bag within a bag that is doing the heavy lifting. I keep everything I would need in here, from a pill box full of essentials, my chapstick, tissues, hand sanitizer, hair ties, a bandaid or two, mini nail file, Tide stick, mini hand lotion, etc.
The wallet - I recently swapped a big wallet for a card case and it is a game-changer. Just the essentials. I’ve have yet to miss my large wallet since the swap. This also saves so much space in your bag, allowing you to use your smaller bags with ease.
Sunnies - Never without a pair of sunglasses. I always keep mine in a slim sunglass pouch to protect them and also swap them a lot depending on my outfit. This sunglass organizer allows me to also choose sunnies for my outfit with ease.
Keys - Nothing groundbreaking here, other than, you don’t need all those spare keys on you at all times. My keys have the essentials and that’s it.
AirPods - This is an essential for me ever since moving to NYC. I’m never without my AirPods.
The only thing that is ever technically loose in my bag, are the random hard candies that now live at the bottom of every single purse. I love having a mint, or Guava candy on hand. And at this point I just think it’s funny that they’re in every bag and you never know what flavors you’ll get when you go to reach for one.
These scattered hard candies in every purse is also a new NYC habit I’ve developed and I have no idea why or how it happened. But it’s kind of fun to just pull out a candy while riding the subway.
These 5 things live easily in my most-worn bags. I’m always rotating between my Sezane Claude or Milo bags, or my Acne bag. Those are probably my 3 most worn bags in my closet.
If I’m heading out to a nicer event, and these 5 things don’t fit inside, I usually pull out the essentials of the main pouch within a bag. This can vary depending on where I’m headed and the time of year, just depends. But the second I get back from that outing, those items go right back into my ‘bag within a bag’ so I’m ready for the next day. Which is an essential habit to stick to so that your bag system actually continues to work!
If you think you need more things, great. You do you, but I would recommend adding another small pouch. One large pouch with tons of things sort of defeats the purpose of this entire method. Instead, keep things small and organized by category.
If you’re a makeup person who likes to have more options, just create a small makeup pouch. If you’re a mom and need some kid things at the ready, make a pouch just for them. I think pouch organization and categorizing them so you can easily grab the ones you really need is what’s key to staying organized here.
Plus, if you are switching bags and you need to downsize a bit, you can easily decide if a specific pouch isn’t super necessary. That way, you don't have to dump everything out and start from scratch. There should always be one main pouch that has your true essentials, the things you wouldn’t want to be caught without while out and about.
Tons of makeup, just my go-to lipstick and liner. That’s it.
A book, my phone has audiobooks and the Kindle app. Let’s be honest, the physical books can stay collecting dust on my coffee table. If you really love a book, I’d recommend investing in a Kindle that’s lightweight and barely takes up any space.
Big hand sanitizer, I swapped to this one that’s the size of a Chapstick and comes in a 3-pack.
Hairclips or brushes. I keep a few hair ties, and maybe a small hair clip on hand in the summer months, but otherwise, I don’t need these things. I’ve never once wanted to brush my hair while I was out (this is also coming from someone who loves a messy, undone curl, so maybe take that with a grain of salt).
The payoff of this bag within a bag system is that I know I will have everything I need when I’m out. There’s no chaotic purse-dump happening, there’s no having to randomly buy Advil when I’m out, and I can easily switch bags daily if I want to since it takes literal seconds to do.
I think that last perk is one of my favorites of this system. Choosing your handbags for the outfit you’re wearing, instead of just grabbing the same purse every single day, is what really makes outfits feel more intentional and styled. And it let’s you finally get more use out of all those bags you own and just can’t seem to get to.
I’ve got a big blog post featuring the bag within a bag system. I’m also linking all of the products I use, and similar options to create your own system that works for you. Check out the post here →
How do you organize your purse?
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.