Sure, we all wish we had a spacious walk-in closet like the one Big built for Carrie in Sex And The City: The Movie, with sleek metal racks on which to hang our designer shoes and roomy shelves on which to tuck away our handbags. But how many of us have Mr. Big-type money? Exactly. In fact, if you live in New York City, your entire apartment might just fit inside Carrie's fantasy closet; it's the Big Apple real estate curse, I suppose. And, of course, cramped quarters means having to stuff our goodies into teeny closets, underbed bins, or other space-saving storage devices. As much as we may want to stuff our handbags with tissue paper to preserve their original shape, it's almost impossible to do so with limited space, and so we resort to folding and flattening our bags, later lamenting the crinkles, creases, and other assaults to its form.
So how do you keep your handbags looking brand new while avoiding clutter? Here's one alternative: the Pursendipity Ring, which features moldable, memory foam technology. All you have to do is take an empty purse, stuff the appropriately-sized Pursendipity Ring inside, allowing it to apply some pressure to the contours of the bag so as to stretch out each inch of fabric, visibly reducing the appearance of any existing creases or folds and helping the bag regain its original shape.
The Pursendipity ring is available in leopard print or hot pink and comes in three sizes: Small/Medium (5" x 14.5"), Large (7.5" x 16.5"), and Extra Large (7.5" x 19.5").
When I heard about the Pursendipity ring, I thought, "Wow, why didn't I think of that?" It seemed like the most obvious solution, and yet one which no one had proposed until now. But would it really deliver the results it promised? I decided to do some testing of my own. And, of course, I picked my most beat-up, deformed handbags in my field research. First, I used the Pursendipity ring to rescue a leather satchel that I'd recklessly folded like an origami experiment (I know, shame on me!). To start, I folded the ring to tuck it inside the purse and then unfolded it, pressing its sides against those of the bag. As I pressed the foam against the bag, I did start seeing some of the creases and wrinkles begin to flatten, but it was important that I sit there and massage the process a bit by ensuring that the ring was tautly pressed against the bag's inner lining. Now, I won't go as far as to say that the satchel looked brand new, but there was a noticeable difference in its form.
Satisfied with my first test, I then upped the ante and gave the Pursendipity a heavyweight opponent: the Betseyville handbag pictured below, which has a tough vinyl exterior that looked like it had been run over by a truck. Now, as you can see from the photos below, the Pursendipity ring did help to restore some of the purse's natural boxiness, making it spring back to life. Some of the more stubborn creases along the front pockets, however, remained untouched — but, of course, that's a minor annoyance given how vast the improvements otherwise. Check out the before and after pics!
Pursendipity rings, $33-$37. Visit Pursendipity.net
Before pic:
After pic: