Handbags and purses are a very important fashion accessory today and are made of various materials and range in size from a petit clutch to oversize.
They come in a range of colours and styles that allow us to display our individuality, and enable to carry all sorts of parafinalia in them.
To some they are the quintessential women’s accessory, providing glitz and glamour to everyday living as well as practicality.
Before we check out our Guess, Prada, Fendi, Coach, Rafe, Moschino, Anne Klein and others, lets gain a brief history of the evolution of handbags and purses.
The first handbags were thought to have originated in the 14th century and were seen in the Egyptian Hieroglyphics and stone carvings, they were worn around the waist and said to be used to carry flint and mainly used by men.
By the 16th century common materials such as hides(leather) were used and tied with a drawstring, and large cloth bags were worn diagonally across the body.
As we evolved girls were taught embroidery and stitch artwork onto bags, and bags were worn under garments.
During the 18th century women carried bags so not to ruin their outfits and they called them reticules, they carried their makup,rouge, face powder and smelling salts.
The 1900s saw “handbags” with more complicated fasteners and compartments.
The 1920’s saw people wearing any bag with any outfit -anything goes. During WW11 due to a shortage of materials, people experimented with other textiles, and this led to bags being made of plastic and wood.
In the 1950’s saw the emergence of the designer bags, and this is when “Designers” came to the for. We then started hearing about Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. These names are still popular today but with the addition of several more like Gucci, Christian Dior, Fendi, Prada, Kate Spade, Lockheart and others.
