This book is published by Conran Octopus Ltd in association with the Design Museum in London, with contributions from Robert Anderson (who wrote the text) and photographs reproduced from other museums, galleries, institutes, media and newspapers.
Each of the 50 bags described include its era and is accompanied by a full-page (sometimes two) photographs. The bag is at once the simplest, the most complicated and most emotion-laden of accessories. It is simple because it seerves as a vital tool for living; it is complicated because it fulfills so many different functions that its diversity is also bewildering, and it is emotion-laden because it can be deeply expressive of a woman’s life – as a companion, a receptacle of sorts, a status object and a means of self-display.
Some of the diversity and ingenuity of bags are:
- Satchel (1950s) – Its classic image is evocative of the innocence of our school-days. It is simply a ‘small bag’ and was part of the British traditional school uniform. An example of the contemporary variation is the kind that women in the 80s carry to work that is stylish and graceful (eg those by Donna Karan in America) and the kind of ‘classic’ bag (eg designed by Bill Amberg in US in the 90s) that became a luxurious necessity because of the quality of its craftsmanship, the leather and the details. It has also evolved as the messenger bag, the traditional streetwear popular in the 90s.
- The iconic 2.55 Bag by Coco Chanel is thus named because it was created in Feb 1955. It was a deeply personal creation which was also revolutionary in its practicality, enabling women to carry a handbag with their hands free.
- The Kelly Bag (1956, Hermes) combines demure simplicity and unabashed luxury and is the epitome of classis style. It was said that Princess Grace Kelly carried this bag in front of her to disguise her pregnancy. A little more upscale than this is the Berkin Bag (1984). It has become the world’s most coveted handbag becuase of its five-year waiting list and is perhaps the most expensive in the world. Named after the actress and singer Jane Birkin, purportedly because she complained about the size of her handbag when the contents of her handbag were scattered across the floor of a pane when she met the co-chairman.
- Black Nylon Prada Bag (1978) comes with a hefty price and was designed by Miuccia Prada (b 1949), a former Communist feminist and student of mime with a PhD in political science. It has become an object of absolute discretion, rooted in the traditions of northern Italy and would develop further to be a fashionista must-have with its handbags, totes and rucksacks.
- Manbag/Purse (late 1990s) – Since time immemorial men have carried bags, eg the businessman had his briefcase, the workman his toolbox, the bicycle courier his messenger bag. In the late 1990s the fashion industry spotted the potential for a new market. Today, the manbag comes from brands like Louis Vuitton and Topman. These usually take the form of a soft leather satchel or an upscale messenger bag; but would we see men carrying the clutch (once spotted on David Beckham) or the male evening bag?
Goldenager 