Shoulder straps, whether they’re one option or the only option, are one of the most important details I look for in a bag. Years ago, when I began buying more and more handbags, I tended to buy bags purely based on how they looked, instead of their functional details. As I began to delve into the handbag world more and review bags more closely, I realized the importance of a good shoulder strap.
Maybe my obsession with finding a great shoulder strap that’s usable and comfortable isn’t as important to others, though; some of the most popular handbags on the market have unusable straps.
I know this is a problem with so many more bags than the two I’m going to talk about here, so please let me know which bags have given you problems in the comments below. This issue reared its head when I did a purseonals on my Givenchy Antigona; it’s a bag I adore that happens to have a short shoulder strap.
The strap on my Antigona is so short that if I try to put it over my shoulder. the top handles poke into me. And if I push the handles back, it just looks awkward. Another bag that I know has this issue is the Balenciaga City Bag. I also love this bag, but the shoulder strap is tight and really doesn’t sit on my shoulder comfortably. A friend of mine recently told me that the short strap is the reason she’s never bought a City Bag. Instead, she prefers the Balenciaga Town, which has a longer strap.
So what’s the deal? Why do some of the most popular bags not have shoulder straps that are comfortably usable? I can’t think of a good reason, and that bothers me. I can sometimes look beyond it because the design of a particular bag is something I adore overall, but I can’t deny that a short shoulder strap is a major purse peeve.
