What do you think?
Rate this book
Handbags: A Lexicon of Style
Does a woman go anywhere without her bag?
From the tiny hand-held jewel with just enough room for a lipstick to the trendy Prada backpack, handbags are our most essential accessory and the ultimate status symbol. As clothing becomes increasingly minimal, handbags have been embraced as the quintessential fashion statement. Handbags also make it possible to indulge in designer wares without spending thousands of dollars on a single outfit. These compact icons of style speak volumes of our personal approach to fashion.
Focusing on our fascination with bags, this book presents the best of contemporary design from the world's leading firms. From the status bags of Gucci and Hermès to the exquisite beaded purses of Jamin Puech and Nathalie Hambro, the book includes numerous design sketches and brilliant advertising photos that speak of each creation in its own language. An engaging text by Valerie Steele and Laird Borrelli reveals the trade secrets of the designers who created these signature looks.
From the tiny hand-held jewel with just enough room for a lipstick to the trendy Prada backpack, handbags are our most essential accessory and the ultimate status symbol. As clothing becomes increasingly minimal, handbags have been embraced as the quintessential fashion statement. Handbags also make it possible to indulge in designer wares without spending thousands of dollars on a single outfit. These compact icons of style speak volumes of our personal approach to fashion.
Focusing on our fascination with bags, this book presents the best of contemporary design from the world's leading firms. From the status bags of Gucci and Hermès to the exquisite beaded purses of Jamin Puech and Nathalie Hambro, the book includes numerous design sketches and brilliant advertising photos that speak of each creation in its own language. An engaging text by Valerie Steele and Laird Borrelli reveals the trade secrets of the designers who created these signature looks.
- GenresFashion
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1999
63 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Steele
144 books149 followersValerie Steele is director and chief curator and Melissa Marra is associate curator of education and public programs, both at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 21, 2025
An interesting overview of bags, separated into arbitrary categories of practical, previous, status, luxury and utility. Even after reading it, I don't know whyor how they separated status and luxury... There are enough photos to illustrate the concepts, and enough text to describe how each style came to be and its brief history in the second half of the 20th/early 21st centuries and what its appeal is.
Displaying 1 of 1 review