What Is A Shoulder Bag?

Shoulder bags are essential for every woman's designer handbag collection. No matter what style you prefer, you're sure to find something that suits you in the ever-growing handbag market.

Description of a shoulder bag

A shoulder bag is a handbag with a strap long enough to be hung over the shoulder. The straps are what differentiate the bag from other bags. These straps can be thin, wide, long or short, and their purpose is clear: The strap is designed to carry the shoulder bag without using your hands.

The material a Shoulder bag is made of is an important specification for determining the level of quality because it plays the biggest role in the durability of the bag. A leather shoulder bag made of high-quality leather, e.g. full grain leather, and a shoulder bag made of sturdy nylon performs best. 

The use of a shoulder bag

Shoulder bags are ideal for:

1. Students

They are much more convenient than a backpack as you can have better access to its contents. Shoulder bags are ideal for carrying items like notebooks, files, reports, and essays as they can be shifted to a side of your body.

2. Cycling

These types of bags have special devices for adjusting the shoulder strap. They are convenient when traveling by bike. The "stabilizing straps" that they have also help to maintain balance and prevent the bag from moving while cycling. 

3. Your look

Shoulder bags are often used to make a fashion statement. For both men and women, there are handbags in different shapes and structures that will make you look more chic and modern. Men usually use them to carry heavier things, and this has even become a fashion in the cities.

4. Laptops

Shoulder bags are an excellent type of laptop bags as they are mostly padded and provide all-round protection to your laptop. 

5. Protection of important items

A shoulder bag also offers better resistance against harsh weather conditions. During heavy rain, there is less chance of your shoulder bag getting fully soaked as compared to an average backpack. It’s because you can protect your shoulder bag more effectively as it stays on one side. 

How do I choose a shoulder bag?

Whether it's for a long shopping trip or to take the kids to appointments and workouts, a shoulder bag frees up your hands to carry and handle other things more easily. You should think about what you want to use the bag for and that it fits you and your lifestyle. These are the criteria for buying women shoulder bags:

1. Comfort

Style is a big concern when it comes to choosing your bag but don't forget about the comfort factor. The shoulder strap of your bag should not digging into your shoulder blade or under your arm. If you tend to carry heavy items in your bag, look for wider shoulder straps to help carry the weight of your bag more comfortably.

2. Adjustable Straps

Since women have many different shapes and sizes, it is important that the straps on the bag are adjustable 

3. Size

In general, you should choose a shoulder bag that suits your physique. Petite women are best to choose small bags, while larger bags can be considered for tall women. 

4. Organization

Most of today's bags are equipped with organizational features such as interior and exterior pockets and dividers or partitions. Further, there are integrated purses or coin compartments, cell phone or PDA pockets, pen compartments and more. Think about the items you frequently keep in your handbag and look for shoulder bags that can accommodate and organize them.

Types of shoulder bags

There are many types of shoulder bags you can find online at MILA. Whether you're after shoulder bags on the fun and funky side or those that are a bit more sleek and subtle, there's a style for you. The color and style variations on the market today are tremendous. Here are a few basic silhouettes of shoulder bags to get you started:

1. Cross-body: Crossbody shoulder bags can be carried on the shoulder, or they can be slung across the body. An advantage of using a cross-body shoulder bag is that it helps distribute the weight of the bag across the body instead of centralizing it on one shoulder. This is helpful when a bag is full of heavy materials such as books.

2. Hobo Style: Hobo bags have the characteristic crescent, slouchy shape and are stylish and trendy.  

3. Totes: Tote bags are roomy, usually rectangular bags with single or double straps.

4. Slings: A popular cousin of backpack bags is the sling with a shoulder strap.

5. Shoulder Satchels: Typically, small to mid-sized zip-top bags whose length capacity is larger than the bag's width. There are both structured and unstructured satchel styles.

6. The Pouch: A pouch is a smaller style bag, usually with a slight dip, zip-top, and thin shoulder straps.