In Purse-Suit ~ with Wendy Kendall

What are you carrying? Clues about a person are laced within the bags they carry. Observe those around you, and you may start creating fun stories and theories about them. You may even solve a mystery.

Some things about the bag a person carries give visual indications of their work. A briefcase hints at some office, government, or perhaps legal work. Check for details such as locking devices too. What about a Messenger bag? These are carried not only by bike messengers. What secrets can be delivered within its folds?

What hints are there of the owner’s purse-onality? A tote may contain various matching accessories within its depths. The separate pieces are pulled out for specific contents. Such fashion shows a highly organized mind. An adventurer is revealed in those carrying backpacks. An action oriented heart loves bags with multiple, easily accessed pockets. Hands free cross body bags appeal to freedom-lovers. The happy-go-lucky head out with a wristlet dangling.

I collect purses from vintage to contemporary, and from designer to charitable and much more. My collection includes purses of great sentimental value to me, for a variety of reasons. Some I treasure because they belonged to generations of women in my family or of close friends. Some I cherish because of who gave them to me as loving or as fun gifts. Others are treats and discoveries from vintage shopping and other expeditions. I’ve interviewed many people who feel the same attachment to a purse, for example their grandmother’s purse remembered because she’d hide treats for the children inside. This purse, when gifted to a granddaughter brought tears to her eyes. Do you have a favorite bag?

My love of mystery and purse fashion combine as I author my mysteries with Katherine Watson, who is my purse designer and amateur sleuth. She debuted in my book Kat Out of the Bag. Katherine has many skills, including attention to detail, that enable her to track clues to solve a murder. As her cat Purrada looks on, Katherine matches wits with local cop Jason Holmes and his K-9 partner, Hobbs. Although Holmes and Watson disagree often, they discover an undeniable attraction building between them. They’ll have to put their feelings on hold and focus on solving the murder, before Katherine becomes the killer’s next knock off.

Writing the combination of fashion and fiction is a thrill, My search for even more led me to one of the two Purse Museums in the world, Esse Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. The exhibits tell the evolution of 20^th century American women through the bags they carried and their contents. What a wonderful way to showcase women’s history. My inspiration for handbags as more than fashion grew from my visit to Esse, and so did Katherine Watson’s. Besides her designer purse business, she also runs the Purse-onality Museum in Bayside, Washington. Her hometown is filled with charm, and also mystery and romance. You’re invited . . . grab your bag and stop by Bayside for a visit.

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