Bags: An Illustrated History

by Caroline Cox

Handbags have never been more important in the 'must-have' bag of the season is a much-lusted-after designer item that can make or break a fashion house. For a woman, the handbag is an intimate extension of the body, a kind of mobile home for all the items indispensable for daily life, and at the same time an indicator of her fashionability - be it Prada, Louis Vuitton or Chanel.
Here, Caroline Cox tells the fascinating story of the handbag, from its origins in nineteenth-century reticules (essentially pockets with handles) and Louis Vuitton's revolutionary Noe bag for the female traveller, via Art Deco Bakelite clutch bags and the Hermès Kelly endorsed by Princess Grace in the 1950s, right up to present-day 'It bags' - the Mulberry Araline and Marc Jacobs Stam.

Intriguingly, Bags reveals that the evolution of the handbag is closely intertwined with the status of women in flamboyant bags evolved in the 1920s to suit the flappers and their new-found freedoms, while in the 1950s bags became more elegant and ladylike, reflecting the campaign encouraging women to reinhabit the domestic sphere after the war.
Lavishly illustrated throughout with rare and striking images of bags historical and modern, and exquisitely designed, Bags will be the must-have book of the season.

Genres: Fashion

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Caroline Cox, professor of cultural history at the University of the Arts London, is a leading fashion authority whose work explores the relationship between fashion, beauty, and culture. A lecturer and broadcaster, she is also a cultural trends advisor at Vidal Sassoon.

Reviews

[Siobhan O' Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations! interesting read! lovely coffee table top book!

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good general history of bags and purses but has a light touch on medieval and Renaissance bags.