BY DESIGN : Strong Like a Man, but Made for a Woman

They could stand up to a tank.

From brightly colored patent leather mini hatboxes for “Clueless” juniors up through octagons in suede for the Bistro Garden crowd, this season’s purses are all about structure.

Hermes, with its classic Kelly model, and Ferragamo, with its ladylike luncheon bags, set the standard for other manufacturers that picked up the trend as part of the Mod fashion revival. But the latest boxy bags have a more modern reason for being, too: Soft and squishy just doesn’t travel as well.

“Women want bags to accommodate both day and evening needs,” explains designer Carlos Falchi, a 25-year veteran in the handbag business whose designs are available at Saks. A sturdy little pocketbook, he says, makes the transition from office to social event.

The bigger versions, some of which rival small pieces of luggage size-wise, can double as a briefcase, he adds. “There are more compartments, so a woman can carry both cosmetics and papers for business. It’s the best of both worlds.”