Bags
are hot. From designer bags to designer inspired handbags, handbags dominate fashion. If you consider today’s leading
fashion companies, “what hits you like a brick is that it’s
bags, not clothes, that are the key to their success.” Observes
Mimi Spencer of Vogue. As clothing fashion is becoming increasingly
minimal, accessories like handbags have taken on greater importance.
 There
are different categories of handbags. Women tend to carry so much
in their bags. Practical bags tend to accommodate all a woman
wants to carry with her. As Carrie Donovan says, “For many women
the tote bag is an office away from the desk, a portable dressing
table, a locker room lunch-pail, library, shopping cart, travel bag,
or an amalgam of all these.” This type of handbags fit in to
the category of practical bags. Designers such as Prada, Bally, Moschino
are among many that have designed practical or tote handbags.
Then
we have precious little evening bags that have just enough
room for keys, a lipstick and money. Glamorous evening bags are crafted
of precious material and distinctive details. They hold only what
is essential for an evening on the town. Fashion designers such as
Swarovski, Fiore, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana have designed unique
evening designer handbags. Precious bags are used more and more during
the day, rather than just for evenings, to individualize the modern
fashion.
 Status
handbags are objects to which a set of unspoken but powerful associations
is attached, such as Benz automobile or the Hermes bag. Hermes, Luis
Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Christian Dior are among many designers
that make these types of bags.
Luxury
handbags signify more than extravagant and expensive. They represent
indulgence beyond what is necessary for a reasonable standard of life.
“There is obviously considerable overlap between the status bag
and the luxury bag, says Laura Bortolami, since almost all status
bags are made of luxurious materials that are artfully handcrafted.
But whereas the significance of the status bag centers on its name
or logo, a luxury bag is usually valued because of what it is made
of , for its intrinsic value.”
Utility
bags are designed to hug the body as an extension of clothing.
Backpacks, waist packs, belt bags, hip bags, vest bags, body pouches
and arm packs are among utility bags. Utility style bags can be found
among the collection of famous designers such as Dolce Gabbana, Prada,
DKNY and Georgio Armani.
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Here
is a brief history of how handbags have evolved throughout the years:
Up
until the 18th century, women kept their accessories hanging on chatelaines
from the waist of their skirts or hidden in pockets underneath their
skirts.
 The 19th century brought the expensive, pretty and intricate handbags
– those handstitched with tiny beads and often set on silver
clasps and chains.
Celluloid
bags came into fashion in the 1920s featuring daring detail like mother
or pearl, enamel and lipstick holders, compacts and mirrors that were
discreetly designed to go inside.
1930s/1940s saw clutch handbags developed.
Between 1940s and 1950s handbags became quite innovative and extravagant made
of all types of materials and crafted of frivolous extras all over
the outside of the bag.
The 1950s Princess Grace Kelly appeared on the cover of Life with Hermes
bag “petit sac haut a courroies” which meant little bag
with straps. She loved Hermes handbags so much that she turned them
into a status symbol. Consequently, the classic black square purse
took on the name “Kelly” bag. A vintage Hermes bag can sell
at auction for about $10,000.
 1960s women saw genuine reptile and silk handbags. This era designers such
as Givenchy, Chanel, and Pucci frequently mark period fashions.
Vivid
color and bold forms were the innovation brought to the handbags in
the 70s.
1980s the Hermes bag introduced the “Birkin” handbag after Jane
Birkin spoke to the marketing director of Hermes complaining about
the “Kelly” bag for its difficulty to open. In the late
80s designers opted for small black nylon bags. Prada gave birth to
this new fashion and by the late 90s the company grew tremendously.
Now they are one of the premiere designer handbag manufacturers in
the world.
The 1990s had seen many new inventions - designer handbags ranging
from the Gucci bag with bamboo handle and the G symbol (introduced
by Tom Ford) to Louis Vuitton launching the miniature backpack. |
Black Bags
Brown Bags
Green Bags
Red Bags
Purple Bags
Pink Bags
White Bags
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