Carry on: British exhibition delves into handbags

Whether toted by Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher or “Sex and the City” actress Sarah Jessica Parker, handbags pack a powerful punch, a British exhibition reveals. The Victoria and Albert Museum is showing some 300 items at the exhibition called “Bags: Inside and Out” that opens on Saturday. They range from a 16th-century embroidered purse to a contemporary plastic rucksack by British designer Stella McCartney. The decorative arts and…