Death of the It bag: Handbag weight falls by 57% in two years thanks to trend for smaller arm candy

Death of the It bag: Handbag weight falls by 57% in two years thanks to trend for smaller arm candy and lighter gadgets

By Maysa Rawi

Last updated at 5:13 PM on 13th January 2010

• Comments (4)
  
• Add to My Stories
  

Gadget addict: Kelly Brook sports a small bag as the trend for lighter accessories and devices continues

When Katie Holmes was pictured carrying an Hermes HAC Travel in 2008, it was clear the oversized handbag epidemic had reached outlandish proportions.

And as the credit crunch hit home, fashionistas sensibly began to bin their Chloe Paddingtons, Fendy Spys' and Balenciaga Giant Briefs in favour of discreet, more sophisticated arm candy.

Now women are reaping in the health benefits as the average weight of a handbag has plummeted, helping to ease back strain and prevent muscle injury.

The new findings are also due to carrying lighter gadgets such as mobile phones and MP3 players.

A typical bag now weighs an average of 1.5kg, around 57 per cent less than the average of two years ago, research has revealed.

And with the trend for 2010 being even smaller handbags, women can expect a more practical approach to fashion.

The new generation of smaller, lighter multi-purpose gadgets such as the iPhone and Blackberry have replaced heavy laptops, old fashioned mobile phones and filofaxes.

Sue Tebbitts, Handbag Buyer at Debenhams, said: 'Two years ago, women were carrying around 7.3lbs - the equivalent of three and a half bags of sugar - everywhere they went.

'Finally the burden placed upon working women is falling - and it's all thanks to technology.'

The statistics emerged from figures which monitor what consumers carry.

Researchers found the mid-nineties mobile phone boom added an extra 247grams to Britain's handbags, taking the overall weight to an average of 1.4kg.

The introduction of the iPod increased this further to 1.6kg in the early 2000s.

Light as a feather: Samantha Cameron, left, model Heidi Klum and Angelina Jolie sport smaller bags, as handbags decrease in weight due to lighter gadgets replacing the laptop

Bag weight continued to rise as more and more women began to carry laptop computers in their handbags, peaking at a back-breaking 3.5kgs in 2006 and 2007 when laptop sales were at their highest.

Excess baggage: Katie Holmes sports the £4,000 Hermes HAC travel in 2008

During this peak, mobile phones, PDAs, device chargers and MP3 players joined laptop computers as items commonly found in women's handbags.

More...

• Little black dress that pinches those inches
  
• MODEL OUTFIT: Brighten up your wardrobe this week with a splash of red
  

Since then the introduction of devices like iPhones and Blackberries has slowly brought the average weight of handbags down to the lowest it's been for seven years, plunging to 1.5kgs at the end of 2009.

Despite technological advances however, the greatest percentage of weight is still taken up by favourites such as make up, mirror, purse, tissues, perfumes, brushes, toothpaste, receipts, address books and headache pills.

Sue Tebbitts added: 'As the weight of handbags peaked, we worked to increase the tensile strength of weight-bearing straps and stitching across our offer.

'This is a level of quality we will continue to offer for those women who are still carrying everything but the kitchen sink around.

'No matter what advances in technology come our way, a woman's handbag will always have that "Mary Poppins" reputation because women pack a bag ready for anything.'