Everything old is new again, but the newest introduced at Paris Fashion Week this year is Le Petit Chiquito by French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. It’s beyond the tiniest handbag you’ve ever seen, with room for ONE of these items:

• a single mint or piece of gum
• a housekey
• a folded-up twenty for cabfare

Now that’s quirky!

What Do You Really Need in Your Purse?

This might be all you need to run to the gym, with your phone and Le Petit fitting in one hand. But if you’re going out to a West Village jazz club or Broadway show, you need room for:

• lipstick
• a tissue
• moisturizer
• powder compact
• handwipe (in case of a sticky cab door-handle or shaking hands with the sweaty guy)
• mini folding brush (depending on your hairstyle)
• credit card and ID
• other mini items uniquely required for your look

I love mini handbags, and have a big collection. The one shown here is clear plastic, with a silver leopard pouch for hiding certain items. I put my phone and perhaps a sleek black MAC lipstick outside the pouch so it’s visible.

This Is Why I Invented Purse Pals

For me, the essentials I listed above can be pared down even more, but I must have moisturizer, powder, lipstick, and a handwipe. MAC has a line of mini-lipsticks almost as small as the ones Avon used to carry! I’ve created a mini line of mini essentials for the purse, called Purse Pals:

• Fresh – A tiny cotton pad I’ve dipped in my MAC powder
• Moist – A dollop of Aveeno moisturizer
• Clean – A single hand sanitizer