straight from the shoulder; Can Marina Rust make the switch from a roomy satchel to a smaller, boxier handbag.(Product/service evaluation)

Byline: Marina Rust

Medium-size, structured shoulder bags? Sure, I'd carry one.

"Great," says my editor. "We'll send some over. Ideally, there will be one you like."

What's not to like? I wonder, hanging up the phone. Yes, the big bag of seasons past was a look, but do I really need to carry around dry cleaning, gym shoes, and the Sunday Times? Downsizing might lead to discipline.

In the seventies, the shoulder bag was an important part of the women's-liberation movement, allowing women to operate hands-free. Before that, it was all about handbags-small and ladylike with short straps that hooked over wrist or elbow. I once read an article advising women to avoid these "lady" bags; the author drew a visual comparison between the carrier and a squirrel clutching a nut. Less squirrelly than the lady bag but more lightweight than the big, floppy satchel (which only encourages pack rats like me), a medium-size bag certainly seems due-one without rodential references. A large brown parcel arrives from Vogue. Opening it, I pull out a bronze Vuitton.

"What is that?" asks my husband.

The new It bag, I answer.