Categories: Fashion|

It-bags and It-status

By |Published On: July 19th, 2016|
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Courtesy to www.newsbagshoe.com

A woman’s relationship to her bag is almost the same as a man’s fixation on watches and cars. It is all related to status and self esteem. Some say it is about expressing identity and it certainly is when you really use fashion as tool of self-expression.

So what women love so much about bags. First, bags don’t need to fit. Lose weight, gain weight, get pregnant, get old, whatever. Your bags are loyal.

Second, bags are a mix of functionality and style. You can carry your phone, money or credit cards in it, or your snacks, bottle of water and even an extra pair of high heels.

Bags can be the ultimate accessory, the statement, iconic piece that builds your whole look, even if you are wearing a pear of jeans and t-shirt.

So what does it take to lift a handbag to the authentic ‘It’ status?

One of the most obvious attributes is its symbolics or what the bag stands for. An iconic bag usually represents a lifestyle, a certain timeless allure. Let’s take the Hermes Kelly bag. It screams class and affluence. Event its name comes from an iconic moment, when the newlywed Princess Grace of Monaco was famously photographed for the cover of Time magazine trying to shield her pregnant belly with a classic Hermes bag. What helps for the Kelly Bag stardom status is also the fact that there are long waiting lists even for those who can afford to buy it. In other words there’s some exclusivity and unattainable lure added to its image.

gracekelly-Hermes bag iconic moments

Same applies to the Hermes Birkin bag which also have turned into a status symbol.

In 1981, Hermès chief executive Jean-louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. She had just placed her straw travelling bag in the overhead compartment for her seat, but the contents fell to the deck, leaving her to scramble to replace them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked.

Three years later he created a black supple leather bag for the French singer. Despite that she used it for some time, she also complained that all bags are bloody heavy because women carry too many things in them. Of course that’s quite obvious especially for moms and working women who need to change several times a day and slip into different roles. Birkin even said:

I’m going to have to have an operation for tendonitis in the shoulder.”

Jane Birkin Directed by Pierre Grimblat

Another bag story that worth mentioning is the one of Lady Dior of 1994. The bag turned into a sensation because of Princess Diana who wore it around town after she separated from Prince Charles. It is a seductive combination of a briefcase and luxury, with its distinctive gold charms, propelling in a way independency and strength mixed with glamour and sophistication.

lady Dior bag collage

And just when you might be thinking that celebrity status and stardom can turn a bag into an iconic symbol, I would like to remind you of the Fendi Baguettemania. Launched in 1997, the Baguette became instantly one of the most coveted accessories of the new millennium because of its witty referral to the legendary French loaf and the fact that it was so functional despite its deceptively small and simple look. It was carried under the arm just like the French baguette.

baguettes-bag Fendi

As it turns out It-bags reflect but also transcend the time when they are made. There are many expensive bags and signature accessories nowadays. There are many it-pieces that come and go, but very few become timeless like the distinctive quilting Chanel 2.55 bag, the unmistakable underarm Fendi Baguette or the Chloe Paddington bag with its oversized padlock.

Iconic bags are not just about striking design or some canny marketing strategy. They are part of a bigger story, of an iconic moment, they represent timeless style and enduring qualities. They owe their status to the finest traditions of pedigree, quality and craftsmanship to look as good decades later as it did the day it was first worn.

Today I love to watch it-bags revisions, not necessarily made of leather or expensive materials, but embellished with all sorts of colourful beads and feathers, accompanied by little hairy monsters, with prints and folklore patchwork or embroidery that relates to some deep cultural beliefs and myths, the complex relationship we women have with our bags and fashion. My personal favourite one these days is the revised Longchamp’s iconic Pliage bag, made by the pop culture-inspired American designer Jeremy Scott. For Fall 2016, Scott has aimed for the stars with the Long Distance Call, a canvas Pliage bag covered in a galaxy of stars and candy pink retro telephones, a motif also spotted on the Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2016-2017 catwalk. This super colorful Eighties-inspired bag is available in Longchamp boutiques from past June.

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About the Author: Tsitaliya Mircheva

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Tsitaliya is a writer and fashion journalist for more than 20 years. She founded Mums in Heels 10 years ago and keeps growing and evolving together with her community or fashionable mums and responsible consumers. Fashion and Wellness are her most favourite topics to write about.