By Sandy Levins
A History of the Beaded Bag
Feb. 24, 2005
CAMDEN, N.J. -- Through the years, it's been as small as a deck of cards and as large as a piece of luggage; as soft as velvet and as hard as Bakelite. It's been knitted, crocheted, embroidered, beaded and embossed. Hung from belts, slipped over fingers and slung over shoulders. And, in one form or another, it has been with us since the time of the Crusades.
Called by many names, it's a fashion accessory used by both men and women since the Middle Ages: the pocketbook, the purse, the handbag, the reticule or, in today's world of the metrosexual, the man bag.