With the holidays approaching, you may've considered buying a handbag for someone as a gift. Whether you as a woman is looking to buy a bag for your family member or friend; or a guy wanting to impress your girlfriend, we've got you covered with this step-by-step guide on selecting the perfect handbag gift! You will be the ultimate handbag giver in no time!

Observing Her Lifestyle

What is her daily routine like, and where does she go? What does she usually put in her bag? Is she attending school or going to work in an environment that requires her to be organized? If she is the ultimate girl-on-the-go, tends to stash things such as water bottle and laptop, a small bag would surely be useless to her meanwhile a large bag with plenty of compartments would be very useful. Often go clubbing or attending fancy events? A small lightweight bag would be convenient. If she is a simple girl, and tends to stash only a few essentials such as her keys and wallet, she surely won't be needing to haul a large bag around.

Observing Her Body

What is her figure type? If she is very busty, a cross body bag would only add more attention to the area. If she has a large frame, tiny bags would make her appear larger than she actually is; Meanwhile, an enormous bag may be too heavy for her petite frame. Strap length should be taken into consideration to her height as well. What colors and styles does she often wear? Does she tend to wear gold jewelry or silver jewelry? This is important when looking at the hardware on the bags. How does she usually carry her bag? Does she like flinging it over her shoulder, throwing it over her head across her body, or in her arms/hands?

The Shopping Expenditure

The higher the price tag does not mean it will be better, just like buying an expensive meal can't guarantee you will like it as everyone has a different taste. Other things to take into consideration would be looking for brands she usually carries or brands that you know she admires. Perhaps during a shopping trip, go to the handbag section and observe which ones she picks up; and if you are lucky, maybe she will say that she likes that bag but is too expensive, puts it down, then you can play the fun game of sneaking back into the store to buy it! Getting a gift receipt would be a good idea, just in case; though just keep it secretly unless they ask as to not encourage a return, because they might just like to try something new!

Presenting the Gift

If the bag doesn't already come in a nice box or shopping bag, how you present the gift is as important as the gift itself. Make sure that the handbag is stuffed nicely inside to show its true shape, for a great first impression. For handbags with flexible long chains and straps, keep it inside of the handbag or loop it neatly and tie it with something such as a ribbon. Make sure that the handbag is not too big nor too small for the shopping bag, throwing in some nice tissue paper would add a nice flair of color and texture to this gift; hold the shopping bag by the handles with both hands and present it to her. If placing it within a box, wrap the bag smoothly in tissue paper before placing it in the box; then tying the box with a ribbon or using a cute sticker to seal the box, presenting the box to her with both hands on the bottom sides of the box.

Accepting the Compliment... Or Rejection

Gift Accepted: Congratulations! Modestly act like it was all so easy, you are totally an expert on this. Gift Rejected: Oh no! Calmly apologize and don't appear emotional as it will make things super awkward, and ask if there is anything she would like you to get her instead, or if she would prefer to go shopping with you.  Aren't you glad you kept that gift receipt handy in your wallet?