I love handbags. I could stop shopping completely if it weren’t for handbags. I have wee little evening bags and gigantic tote bags; I have bags in suede and leather and canvas and nylon and silk. I have an exquisite beaded bag, and a crazy Vera Bradley paisley bag.

I love bags.

The secret to a really successful handbag, especially for the office, is to choose one that can hold all your stuff AND that is the right size and shape for YOUR size and shape.

Let’s start with the stuff that needs to go inside.

Take your existing work bag and dump it out on the kitchen table. The best time to do this is at the end of the week, after you have been to a week’s worth of meetings and presentations and parent/teacher conferences and basketball practices and grocery store runs. By Friday, if you are anything like me, your bag is the Black Hole of Mom Crap — receipts and used Kleenex and school notes and plastic action figure toys.

Right?

Dump it all out and get rid of everything that does not need to be living in your bag. There are really only a very few things that MUST live in your bag: your wallet, a small cosmetics bag (small, people, not a whole suitcase, just something for your lipstick and powder and breath mints, so they aren’t floating around in the bottom of the bag), your cell phone or Blackberry or PDA. And really, that’s it.

In the interest of fairness, I will tell you that I keep my iPod and my camera in my bag, as well as a supply of tissues, in those wee pocket packs. I also carry an old-fashioned organizer with me, the kind with PAPER inside it, because that’s how my brain works. BUT I also carry a bag that can handle that much stuff.

So now that you’re down to the essentials, whatever those are for you, let’s look at the bag. You should be able to put EVERYTHING inside it and close the top; if it constantly gapes open, you either need less stuff or more bag. Ideally, your bag will have a special place for your cell phone, so that you don’t have to go digging for it when it rings. I like an inside pocket, one that is close to the top of the bag; use it ONLY for your phone. I also like a pocket for my keys, because I hate to dig for those when I’m in a parking lot.

But what about the actual BAG? Start by taking a good look at your figure in the mirror. Yes, really! Are you tall or petite? Curvy or slim? Your bag needs to be in proportion to your figure. A curvy plus size woman carrying a wee little clutch bag will look off balance, while a very petite woman with a gigantic tote will be overwhelmed. Choose a bag that is in keeping with YOUR scale.

How do you test for size and shape? Pick bags up and hold them in the same way you will carry them for every day. When you tuck the bag under your arm, does it jut way out in front of you? Probably too big. Is it snuggled up behind your breast? Probably too small. Does it slap you on the leg? Probably too long.

Check things like the length of the strap — can you put the bag over your shoulder or across your body easily? If you’re going to carry the bag with a heavy winter coat, test it out with the coat on; you may need longer straps to accommodate the extra bulk of your winter wear.

Ultimately, think of your bag as part of your outfit, even if you carry the same bag day in and day out. As with a great jacket or a pair of jeans, the bag needs to fit. It needs to hold all your essentials and balance your frame. Don’t think that because it’s just a bag you can settle; the bag can make all the difference in the most mundane work outfit.

Over the weekend, clean your existing bag out completely, and assess what you are toting around. And on Tuesday, we will look at bag options for every figure.