The street parties have been organised, the bunting is up, trifle has been made and it is time to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee. A whooping 70 years on the throne is a remarkable achievement. Most of us have lived our entire lives with Elizabeth II on the throne, we know no other monarch and she is as familiar to us as the red bus, big ben and fish and chips. The Platinum Jubilee is a once in a lifetime event, celebrating the most incredible life of a woman, not originally destined for the throne. There are several things that come to mind when we think of the of the Queen; corgi’s, her love of a brightly coloured dress and coat and her iconic black handbag. Always on her arm, even though she is probably the last person on earth that actually needs to carry anything around with her, that is after all what the small army of staff are surely for?
Let’s face it, we have all wondered at one time or another what the Queen might possibly need to carry in her bag. We have seen the lipsticks, occasionally applied at events, but there must be more in there? Phone? Notebook? Snacks? The insides of her bags are custom built with a frame so she is able to reach things easily. They apparently even have a built in mirror on the flap (Nephele designers take note). We are guessing though, that when her children were young, it didn’t carry he same sort of contents as most mum’s handbags do. No half eaten snacks, ground in and squashed in to the lining, no rogue socks or toy cars, accidently carried around for months, before the most of us have had a chance to clear them out. Perhaps the Queens need to carry around a bag, is her own way of keeping some independence, of not having to rely on everyone around her to provide her with what she needs and that is a feeling we can all relate to.
As Hilary Clinton once said, “No one should make fun of anyone else’s handbag choices…handbags are a deep psychological need. It’s a desire to organise and contain that which is important in your daily life.” Handbags are not just something that we have because they look pretty, but because they serve a function. They are a symbol of women’s equality, giving women a slice of their own independence, letting them carry their own money and possessions and not having to rely on men to do so. Here at Nephele bags we have a bag to suit just about any occasion. Need a large, fits all in mum bag, try our Florence or new Scarlett Maxi. Need a work bag, try our Holly Maxi or Rosie. An everyday shoulder bag, how about one of our Blanche’s or a Mavis? Going somewhere nice in the evening? Why not grab an Elizabeth or a Delilah? One bag we are really excited about at the moment is the Tamsin. Even more exciting than a mirror on the flap, it has a reversible flap that has a block colour on one side and an animal print on the other. We think this style of bag could be a total game changer and we are looking at other styles this might work with, watch this space.
Happy Jubilee, may you all enjoy your extended bank holiday this weekend and when we are reapplying that lipstick we have taken out of our handbag, we will raise a glass to the Queen and salute her choice to always carry a bag, no matter the occasion.