How do you feel about crossbody bags? Tangerine Tea owns a few, and Winter Bee likes them on other people. So we decided to do a Dressing Room Diary and met up at TJ Maxx to try on some crossbodies! Then we zipped next door to Goodwill to see what we could find there. We have a lot of photos to share in this post (sorry in advance for the terrible lighting in the store, and, hey, we’re new at this!).
Before heading into the store, Rachel thinks about how about crossbodies are great for letting you comfortably have two hands free when shopping! Pam admires the slightly edgy vibe of a crossbody but feels like she is too busty and old carry off the look. She owns a couple small crossbodies she uses for traveling but doesn’t like how they look on her.
It took us a few minutes to rifle through the racks to find crossbodies, resisting all the cuteness of the other bags, and then started trying on the purses.
We discovered…
Check the length.
It LOOKS great…. 
…. but it feels uncomfortable to me. 
Too close to the actual size of my hips so I just look bigger.
Where the bag lies on your hip is important! Adjusting the strap even an inch or two makes a difference. This is where an adjustable strap comes in handy, instead of a chain. We were surprised to find a difference in our torso length also affected how the bag looked. Pam’s torso is longer and wider than Rachel’s so she had to let out the strap on the white canvas bag and it still didn’t sit as low as it did on Rachel.
Size matters!
This bag really takes over, it’s so big!! 
This is the right fit; size and that it lays flat. 
Can you tell from the scowl on my face how I feel about this one? 
If the strap wasn’t black I would have bought it. 
My personal favorite. 
Too small.
We needed to find bags that fit the proportions of our bodies. We can’t tell you what the formula is, but we knew it when we saw it! The structure is also important. For Pam, a boxy, stiff bag didn’t work. Rachel did not like the larger, wider bags at all. We both like softer bags that hugged our hips. Our favorite was the same bag- Rachel picked soft pink and Pam picked the lilac!
This is very much my style, but I was not impressed with the material. 
I’m tempted to go back! I like the vertical shape on me more than horizontal. 
I really am not a fan of a large crossbody bag!
Fanny pack as a crossbody?
This is trending all over right now, for men and women! Pam had no clue men wore fanny packs across the chest, it’s a good thing Rachel is on top of the style! It’s a big fat no go for Pam, and Rachel wasn’t a fan while Pam thought she rocked it. And when we were walking out to our cars, some guy walked right in front of us, sporting his crossbody fanny pack! #cantmakeitup
I will never wear a fanny pack this way, but I will wear one around my waist. 
Just no. And NEVER around the waist.
Our Takeaways
Winter Bee:
I didn’t realize I could get a crossbody bag to work on me. Just by lowering the bag I already owned looked so much better! When I got home I took a second look at the small bags I use for travelling and I think I will let them go. Full disclosure: I went back to Goodwill and bought the bag we tried on there! It was only $6 (love that senior discount!). If it doesn’t work for me I’m happy I tried something new!
This is my own purse, I lengthened the strap and it works! 
The Goodwill bag. I love it. 
One of my ‘travel bags’ that I think I’ll let go.
Tangerine Tea:
I LOVE crossbody bags already. It was fun to try on bags that were different shapes and sizes, as well as where the bag hits on my body. I learned that I tend to wear bags that feel comfortable. Usually this means they are flat against my body and they fall at my hip. Pam really helped me to see how stylish a bag can look when I step out of my comfort zone! Even though I am not a fan of larger crossbody bags, I am willing to give them a try in the future.
Your thoughts?
Let us know if you use a crossbody bag. Are they large or small? Do you think crossbodies are only for younger people or any age? Do you look for comfort or style when it comes to your bag?
