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Charm offensive: Up the status of your handbag with charms

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

OK, Steve, have you ever heard of bag charms?

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Bag charms - yeah, yeah. My - I've got kids. They're all about them, yeah.

MARTÍNEZ: I have one.

INSKEEP: (Laughter).

MARTÍNEZ: I'm not a kid, but I have one, a little flash charm on my backpack - little, like, key chains, you know, for bags.

INSKEEP: OK.

MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.

INSKEEP: OK, you just tag them on there. It's decorations for the bag or backpack. OK.

MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, and according to fashion magazine Marie Claire, Google searches for bag charms are the highest they've been in decades.

INSKEEP: Wow. Over the summer, a shop owner, Libby Rasmussen, hosted a bag charm party and says more than 160 people showed up to decorate tote bags or purses.

LIBBY RASMUSSEN: I had a bunch of, like, vintage key chains kind of, like, paying homage to the key chains that you would make during summer camp.

MARTÍNEZ: Rasmussen owns Libby & My, a colorful home decor store in Washington, D.C. And she says charms can add flare and show off a bit of your personality.

RASMUSSEN: Life is too serious. Like, why not just have some charms on your bag?

MARTÍNEZ: Plus, they're trendy. According to Vogue, we are in an era of accessorized accessories.

RASMUSSEN: I'm a millennial. I grew up with key chains all over my backpacks. And people are really sentimental - especially Gen Z, especially millennials - for, you know, the '90s, Y2K fashion, things like that.

INSKEEP: That's why you've got the bag charm, A. You're trendy.

MARTÍNEZ: I know. I am.

INSKEEP: You're young.

MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: You're going for it. So can any small object be made into a bag charm?

MARTÍNEZ: Rasmussen says yep.

RASMUSSEN: I was in the Italian deli a couple of weeks ago, and I saw that they were selling tiny mini cheese graters that are actually used for, like, garlic. And I'm from Wisconsin, and I love cheese. So I was like, why don't I put this on a key chain?

INSKEEP: (Laughter) Conversation starter and a simple way to add a little color to life.

MARTÍNEZ: And for any age, Steve, even you.

INSKEEP: I guess so.

MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: I can work on that - see if I can get it on my - the messenger bag that I carry everywhere around the world - get a couple of charms.

(SOUNDBITE OF ADDICT AMEBA'S "CAOSMOSI") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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