Past and present merge in the style of iconic figures
The immense book of history contains many chapters which are studied, appreciated and fondly remembered, for various reasons: some of them marked important discoveries, others the existence and deeds of powerful leaders, while others, unfortunately, witnessed tragic events for humankind.
In the presence of such weighty subjects, the chapter devoted to fashion certainly seems trivial in comparison and we know that perfectly well! Nevertheless it’s an interesting subject to read and learn about, because of the way it represents a certain period, a particular human mood and consciousness, offering a perspective on life and all its social aspects.
Analyzing the fashion tendencies of the different historical periods, researchers have been able to discover important aspects and peculiarities of human beings. For example, by studying clothes and accessories worn by people during a certain period, historians could easily guess at the various levels of social wealth which divided populations into higher and and lower class; in addition, they could find out the contemporary habits and traditions, both in the public sphere and in private life, and, moreover, deduce the principal jobs and activities that men and women were engaged in.
In a certain way, through fashion, a specific historical period can be fixed, made indelible, so that future generations can learn lessons from the past and pick out the best of it to apply to contemporary needs and urgencies. It is almost like looking at an old white and black picture of our great-grandparents’ generation: we are fascinated by it, and, although we realize how far away that time is from ours, we feel stimulated in moving forward but with an eye kept on that past, looking to walk the path of our own life with the same strength and power of our ancestors,.
When we speak of fashion, the immediate association we tend to create is with female figures. Women are distinguished by their grace, their natural charm and elegance, their sensual appeal and sophistication: sometimes they are portrayed as goddesses, with a powerful and fascinating aura that makes them stand out from the crowd and become icons of style to be worshipped forever.
What, in your opinion, is the best way to honor such icons, whose style and elegance will be handed down, year after year? Simply by dedicating to her a memorable item of clothing or fashion accessory, especially a handbag, which encapsulates the elegant and refined manner of the person it represents!
Over the years, fashion houses worked hard at selecting a muse of their own who deeply deserved to be honored with a special fashion item, a handbag more often than not, which would preserve the name of the woman it was dedicated to. While nowadays every woman is perfectly aware of the meaning of IT-Bag – models that we all wish to have in our wardrobes after seeing celebrities and movie stars wearing them in all the best places – few know that these classic handbags were fashionable long before the term was coined. Iconic bags came into being thanks to the classy and elegant attitude of important women, princesses and first ladies in particular, for whom fashion houses created special and unique models.
The list of names would be too long if we tried to include all of them, so we’ll select those who, in our opinion, were more significant in their circumstances and stories.
Once upon a time there was a princess called Lady Diana, and a famous designer decided to create a special handbag for her…this is how our fairytale begins. On the occasion of a diplomatic event organized by the French president, Jacques Chirac, who decided to invite Prince Charles and Princess Diana to his country, Chirac’s wife asked Dior for some help in finding a special gift that would be appreciated by the wonderful Princess of Wales. The Dior house of fashion proposed a very new model of handbag, with gold hardware, specifically created for the occasion, and immediately gave this new model the graceful name of Lady Dior, which has nowadays become one of Dior’s main handbag lines. Princess Diana fell totally in love with this model, and she wore this handbag to many significant events ever after, thus making the Lady Dior famous and popular all over the world. The original design had a geometric grid pattern, stitched onto supple lambskin and embellished with Dior’s signature sparkling Lady Dior charms: a supremely feminine icon of style and elegance – just as Princess Diana was – became a symbolic handbag destined to mark the history of fashion.
Back in the 1950s it was another famous fashion house, Gucci, whose bag became Jacqueline Onassis’ favorite accessory: a classic and long lasting handbag, with a rounded shape and the characteristic fastening, it is an iconic bag that honors the uncompromising quality and luxe of its representative. It was natural to call this model “Jackie O”, to commemorate the effortless class, politeness and elegant manners of an extraordinary woman such as Jacqueline Onassis both for the present time and for the future.
During the same period another important woman destined to be a princess, was presented with a bag that, ever since that very moment, has held its place as the world’s most desirable fashion accessory: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, with her “Kelly” bag signed by the renowned Hermes house of fashion. A fine design which combines all the characteristics of a perfect bag, such as functionality, elegant and practical design, comfortable shape and a restrained air of mystery and allure given by its characteristic padlock and the strap closure. Grace Kelly was spotted in 1956 on the cover of Life Magazine, carrying this stylish and structured Hermes handbag to hide her first pregnancy from the cameras. From then on, this model became a cult fashion item, indicating charm and refinement, and it will always preserve the figure of Grace Kelly as an icon of elegance at an international level.
And nowadays, who are those women that can be considered symbols of refinement and class and who deserve to be honored with a special handbag? Last year it was the turn of Carla Bruni, first lady of French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, for whom the fashion house Roger Vivier created a model calling it “Carlala”: a sober and chic model, that takes inspiration from the current look of Mme Sarkozy, made in genuine black crocodile leather, with a short handle and embellished with a silver ring.
Italy too has its own representative, in the person of Isabella Rossellini, famous actress, recognized both nationally and internationally: this time it was the Bulgari fashion house that created an original model, called “Rossellini Bag”, a handbag inspired by the elegant women of our past, with plenty of comfort and space, in a linear and essential shape that perfectly represents the sobriety of its own muse.
We have selected just a few examples of famous names that inspired notable handbags, so that the grace and personality of these international icons of style would be preserved into the future, becoming immortal legends that mark the world’s handbag design history. And what about you, which do you think is the most representative?
