Buying a Bag for Someone Else: Go Small

Small bags carry far less taste risk than large ones. A big handbag has to suit her whole routine — what she carries, what she wears it with, how she commutes — and if it does not, it is unusable. A small sling has one job, holds a phone, cards and keys, and slots into a life you do not have to fully understand.

Crossbody is the format people reach for most. Hands free, weight on the body rather than one shoulder, and no risk of leaving it on a chair — it is the bag that gets used on school runs, on public transport, in a supermarket, and it is the reason this shape has taken over from the shoulder bag.

Worn on the front, a sling is the sensible travel bag. It sits where she can see it, which is the simple and effective answer to pickpocketing in a crowded market, an airport or a bus — and it is far less conspicuous than anything sold explicitly as anti-theft.

• A sister who travels, commutes or has her hands full
• Someone whose current bag is far larger than her daily needs
• Anyone going somewhere crowded where a front-worn bag makes sense
• A first bag gift, where a small one is a much safer bet than a large one

• Small size sidesteps most taste risk
• The format that gets used most days
• Genuinely practical for travel

The things worth checking before you order — this is where gifts like this most often go wrong.

• Check the strap length and whether it adjusts. A sling that is too short to cross the body defeats the whole point, and adjustability is the specification that decides whether it works on her frame and over a winter coat.
• Read whether it is genuine leather, split leather or PU. All three appear at similar prices in this category, and the wording is usually in the specification rather than the title.
• Colour is the biggest taste risk left once you have gone small. A neutral — black, tan, deep brown — is much safer than anything seasonal, however good it looks in the photograph.
• Measure the phone. Larger phones do not fit every small sling, and a bag that will not close over her actual phone is an immediate return.