Women's Bags

Shoulder bags, totes and crossbodies by what they carry:

the day you have decides the shape. A shoulder bag or hobo takes a wallet, a phone and a make-up bag. A tote swallows a laptop, but its open top leaves everything inside in plain view. A crossbody sits against the body and leaves both hands free in a market or on a crowded bus. An envelope clutch for a wedding holds a phone and a lipstick, and it is chosen to go with the dress. Backpacks and the hand-woven bags of the highlands sit at the casual end, and the watches and jewellery that finish an outfit are in women’s accessories.

Nylon, leather and synthetic in an afternoon downpour:

from May to October the rain in much of Guatemala tends to come in the afternoon, and what a bag is made of decides how it gets home. Kipling’s crinkled nylon and Longchamp’s folding Le Pliage shrug it off and dry on a hook. Smooth leather survives a soaking if it dries slowly out of the sun; suede stains for good. Synthetic leather, the PU most everyday handbags are made of, ignores water. Age is what ends it, because the coating breaks down and flakes whether the bag is carried every day or left in a drawer.

A Guess label on a synthetic body:

a Guess shoulder bag or crossbody runs around Q900 to Q1,300 new in Guatemala, while an unbranded synthetic handbag from a shoe chain lists near Q350. Most Guess bags are synthetic too, so much of that difference is the name and the hardware rather than the material. Used, a branded synthetic bag ages like any other: once the coating cracks at the handles the logo stops holding the price up, and the Guess that still sells well is the one that is firm, clean and tagged. Leather is the exception, the one material that can look better for the years.

Baled handbags, Kipling monkeys and the Guess swing tag:

bales of used bags, caps and backpacks come down from the United States sorted by type and sold by weight, then go out again piece by piece, so a Coach or a Kipling can turn up at any price, with copies mixed in. A genuine Kipling’s monkey keychain has a white name tag sewn to its arm, and a label inside gives the model and the care instructions. A new Guess carries a swing tag with the model number and a barcode, and its metal logo pieces should be smooth and solid, with no bubbles or chips. On any brand, a logo pattern that is cut off or knocked out of line at a seam points to a copy.

Mould, flaking and a collapsed shape on a used handbag:

are what years in a closet do to a bag. Leather put away damp in the rainy months can grow a pale bloom of mould along the seams and inside the pockets, and the musty smell outlasts a wipe, so open it and smell it. On a synthetic bag, look where the arm rubs and where the strap folds over its ring, because the coating lifts there first. Check that every metal foot on the base is still there, that a magnetic snap closes on its own, and that a structured bag stands up empty.

Measurements, strap drop and where the bag came from:

give the width, height and depth in centimetres, how far the strap hangs, and whether a laptop fits. Say what it is made of and how it reached you: bought new here, a gift brought from the United States, or picked out of a bale. Include the dust bag, the Kipling monkey or the Guess tag if you still have them, and photograph the base, the strap folds and the inside of each pocket in daylight. A buyer coming in from Coatepeque or Salamá will want to load her own phone, wallet and keys into it before paying, so bring it empty and stuffed with paper to hold its shape.