Body Language: How You Hold Your Bag Says A Lot About You
by Lynn Yaeger
Photo: Monica Feudi/feudiguaineri.com (Prada); Gianni Pucci/GoRunway.com (Vuitton); Monica Feudi/feudiguaineri.com (Céline)
“They’re holding those bags like they’re holding a puppy!” exclaims body-language expert Lillian Glass, Ph.D., when she’s confronted with a series of runway images from the Prada fall 2011 catwalk show, in which the models are snuggling up to their purses, clutching them like something soft and warm you’d like to nestle near your bosom.
The Prada show wasn’t the only runway extravaganza that featured models brandishing handbags in new and striking ways, which is what prompted us to seek out Glass—a communications pro and media personality (she’s been on Oprah! Nancy Grace!) who has authored more than fourteen books on the subject—and ask her to reveal the subtext, the subliminal messages that may be lurking behind this phenomenon. Glass, who herself currently covets a giant Donna Karan satchel she encountered recently and who admits to a weakness for soft Italian leathers, warmed to the task.
