看包識女人 職業女性怎樣選手袋

In the manuals of corporate dress codes, a woman's handbag rarely merits a mention. Yet the purse a woman carries to work is much more than a place to hold a hairbrush. A purse can send a signal about its owner's character, says Monica Botkier, a New York-based handbag designer. 'The bag tells a lot,' she says. 'When I read a woman, I read her bag. It's a little Rorschach test.'

公司着裝手冊中很少會提及女性手袋。但女性上班時攜帶的手袋遠不只是一個放髮梳的地方。紐約手袋設計師莫妮卡•柏柯爾(Monica Botkier)說，手袋能夠傳達有關主人個性的信息。她說，“包能告訴人們很多東西。我會通過包來了解一位女性。這就像一個小小的羅夏墨跡測試(Rorschach test)。”

Striking a balance between style and organization is crucial to projecting an image of chic competence, says Ms. Botkier, who developed her signature Trigger bag when she was a fashion photographer seeking a roomy but stylish bag for her gear。

柏柯爾說，在時尚和井井有條之間取得平衡是打造雅緻、幹練形象的關鍵。柏柯爾當年做時尚攝影師時曾希望找一款既寬敞又時尚的包來放自己的行頭，於是她創立了獨具特色的手袋品牌Trigger。

For Ms. Botkier, a work purse has to be generous enough to move items between the home and office without becoming unwieldy. There is a fine line, she says, between spacious and burdensome. An office handbag should be large enough for a set of ballet flats -- but not cavernous enough for a pair of heels; it might hold an iPad, but not a laptop。

柏柯爾認爲，上班用的手袋必須有足夠的空間，能裝得下通勤所需的物品，而又不能臃腫。她說，寬敞和笨重之間是有一些細微差別的。上班用的手袋應該能裝得下一雙平底鞋──但不至於大到裝得下一雙高跟鞋；它或許能裝得下一臺iPad，但裝不下筆記本電腦。

A great work bag should be well-organized, Ms. Botkier says. She looks for purses with at least one outside pocket for her smartphone. A few internal pockets help keep small items like keys and pens off the bottom of the bag. As the mother of three small children who like to rummage through her purse, Ms. Botkier likes at least one internal pocket to have a zipper closure. 'They'll get into everything anyway, but the zipper helps,' she says。

柏柯爾說，好的通勤包應該是井井有條的。她希望手袋至少有一個外側口袋，能用來放她的智能手機。幾個內側口袋可以用來放鑰匙和鋼筆等小東西，使它們不至於掉到包的底部。柏柯爾有三個年幼的孩子，他們喜歡亂翻她的手袋，因此柏柯爾喜歡至少有一個內側口袋能用拉鍊拉起來的包。她說，“他們還是會什麼都翻，但拉鍊能起一些作用。”

While some precious purses might stay bundled in a dust bag, your office bag will see daily use and should be made of a durable skin like cowhide or lambskin. Cowhide is sturdy but can seem heavy; lambskin is supple and lighter but more fragile. Choose deeper colors to mask stains and weatherproof the bag according to the designer's directions, she cautions. 'Stay away from suedes,' she says. 'The matte surface picks up dirt and can rub and get nubby.'

你可能會把一些貴重的手袋收在防塵袋裏，但通勤包你每天都會用，它們應該用牛皮或小羊皮等耐用的皮革製成。牛皮很結實，但可能顯得比較重；小羊皮柔軟，比較輕，也比較容易受損。她提醒說，要選擇深一點的顏色，這樣更耐髒，同時要根據設計師的指導對手袋進行保養。她說，“不要用絨麪皮的包，磨砂表面容易聚灰，擦了以後會結成塊。”

It's hard to appear competent when fishing in the bottom of a purse, pulling out personal items in the middle of a conference table. So while unstructured hobo bags might be au courant, Ms. Botkier suggests carrying something with a slightly stiffer structure for the office。

如果正開着會的時候伸手到包底摸索，把個人物品翻出來的話，就很難給人以幹練的感覺。因此，儘管率性隨意的餃子包可能很潮，但柏柯爾建議上班時攜帶結構稍微規矩一些的包。

A bag with a choice of straps or handles -- to wear across the body, hoist on a shoulder or dangle from a wrist -- gives commuters options。

背提兩用包可以斜挎、背在肩上或者搭在手腕上，給了通勤一族多重選擇。

While fashion might favor tassels, noisy hardware and large logos, Ms. Botkier suggests toning purses down for corporate culture -- though creative offices might be more forgiving of trends。

儘管流蘇、誇張的配飾和大大的徽標可能是時尚潮流，但柏柯爾建議讓手袋與公司文化相協調──當然創意類公司可能會對潮流更加寬容。

She suggests switching purses with the seasons. In spring, she likes lighter colors -- pink or mint this year -- and less bulky bags. 'I always think of cross-body straps for spring, so you can have your hands free.'

她建議在不同的季節換不同的手袋。春季她喜歡顏色較淺──今年是粉色或薄荷色──以及輕巧一些的包。她說，“春天我總會考慮背斜挎包，這樣就可以空出手來。”

In autumn, she prefers rich colors, such as deep plums or emeralds, and a larger handbag, which can balance out the bulk of a heavy coat and offer room for a hat, scarves and gloves。

在秋季，她偏愛濃郁的色彩，比如深紫或翠綠色系，她還喜歡大一些的手袋，這樣與厚重的大衣比較配，還能裝得下帽子、圍巾和手套。

To ease the seasonal swap, or to switch bags for the weekend, Ms. Botkier keeps her makeup in pouches. A leather makeup bag helps prevent lipstick stains in a purse and could double as a clutch for party wear。

爲減少換季和週末換包帶來的不便，柏柯爾把她的化妝品放在化妝包裏。皮製的化妝包可以防止口紅把手袋弄髒，還可以兼作手抓包搭配晚禮服。

When carrying gym clothes, paper files and other items too large for a purse, Ms. Botkier carries a separate bag that doesn't conform to somber office dress codes and can be stashed under a desk. 'It can be anything from a luxe leather tote to a cute fabric in bright colors or leopard prints,' she says. 'And that's your fun tote. It's something a little extra.'

在攜帶運動衣、紙質文件或手袋裏放不下的其他東西時，柏柯爾會另帶一個包。這個包並不符合嚴肅的辦公室着裝規則，可以塞到桌子底下。她說，“奢華的皮製托特包，可愛的亮色布包或者豹紋包通通都可以。這種好玩的托特包是一點點額外的東西。”

Monica Botkier

莫妮卡•柏柯爾

Launched the Botkier handbag line in 2003

2003年推出柏柯爾手袋系列

Developed her signature Trigger handbag in 2003

2003年創立了她的特色品牌Trigger

Botkier is available at Nordstrom, Shopbop and

柏柯爾品牌產品在諾德斯特羅姆百貨公司(Nordstrom)、Shopbop品牌網店和有售

Monica Botkier, her first luxury collection, will be out in the fall

她的首個奢侈品系列“莫妮卡•柏柯爾”將於今年秋季面市