
Twelve Things Every Teen Girl Needs in Her Closet. Number 5 – The Crossbody Bag
The next featured accessory in our Twelve Things series is our pick for the must-have purse. If you love purses and handbags, you might collect a few as you go through high school and on into college. If purses aren’t your thing, you will still need something to carry around your daily necessities. We think every girl needs one certain type of bag in her purse collection: the crossbody bag.

Why this bag?
Crossbody bags have really long straps (many with adjustable features.) So, you can sling them across your body. This type of bag allows you to be hands-free and enjoy shopping, sightseeing, and concerts or other events without worrying about your bag. Phone ringing or your text notification goes off? If you’re wearing a crossbody bag, you can easily reach into your purse to grab your device.
These bags are also our number one choice for travel. If you’re on a crowded New York subway or hiking through beach trails in Hawaii, you can keep your bag (and belongings) close to you.
If you’re ready to invest in a nice bag with a long strap, the selection of styles and colors may be overwhelming. How to choose? Pick a purse in a color that you not only love, but that matches most of your wardrobe. If you carry a lot of stuff around, choose a larger bag with pockets and zipped compartments. Otherwise, pick a small to medium style that holds: keys, wallet, sunglasses, phone, and maybe a small cosmetics bag for makeup, tissues, hairbrush and the like.
Choose a bag style that mirrors your personal style. Our mood board provides a small glimpse of what’s out there right now.
- This bag is perfect for the girl who loves black and edgy accessories. The buckles and hanging tassels give it a rocker-chick vibe. We like the front zip pocket for easy access to your phone.
- You can’t go wrong with a simple, clean bag in classic black. It goes with almost everything and you can wear it for dressy events, too. A bag like this in black, or another neutral like brown or gray is our pick for a splurge if you’re going to get a special designer bag in leather.
- We love this boho camel brown purse! The tooled leather details are beautiful and this bag is a winner if you love ripped jeans, denim shorts and white tee shirts, and flowy boho dresses. This style is more trendy, but you can find bags like this for under $50.00.
- If you’re most comfortable in jeans and hoodies, or track suits and sneakers, this sporty, nylon Kipling bag is the right choice for you. The bright teal is fun and the three zippered compartments help keep everything organized.
- Ready for a splurge? Kate Spade makes some of the most beautiful styles for teens (and everyone.) They can be a bit pricey, but we find Kate Spade bags on sale all the time. There are also Kate Spade outlets with amazing deals. A quality bag like this will last – something we love at the Chronicles. The gold chain isn’t too dressy for your everyday clothes, and this bag is perfect for parties and weddings, too.
Don’t forget about discount stores like Ross, TJMaxx, or Nordstrom Rack (now online) when bag shopping. Many great deals out there!