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History of the handbag

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. It was also war time and fashion was on hold – quite often plain and utilitarian – satchels were often the style of this era.
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.
1980s Hermes 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. Vivid color, tassels and fringes and bold forms were the innovation brought to the handbags in the 70s.
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.
2000 until now has seen many new styles – designer handbags have got larger and many of the classics such as Hermes and Gucci still reign supreme – also the Balenciaga City Bag has been strong in the last few years along with the Chloe Paddington and the Mulberry Bayswater.

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