The handbag: the birth and evolution of a magical accessory for every woman
The long history of the handbag began with the birth of the human race.
Men discovered that, by twisting up a piece of leather, they could make a very handy bag to carry stones and other tools in.
Being a place to keep and carry things (money in particular), the handbag has always been associated with the figure of the merchant or of the messenger (the god Mercury, in the Roman and Greek periods, was usually represented with a bag) but, with the passing of time and the evolution of its history, the bag’s primary function soon became inextricably linked with its fashion and trendy aspect.
The handbag developed with the birth of money. The first models of handbag were made of natural leather (the word bag comes from the Greek word byrsa which simply means “leather”) and they were almost all men’s accessories. They were mainly made in Florence and its environs, where the Minor Arts had just been born and were developing with success.
During the Middle Ages, two important opposing figures emerged: the banker and the pickpocket. To defend against the predations of the latter, two different models of handbag were developed: the handbag worn on the belt and the shoulder bag, each one designed to avoid being too easy a prey for the pickpocket.
In the 16th century, bags started to be diversified according to their shape, provenance and changes in taste. However, even if enriched with many decorative elements, they still continued to function just as containers of money.
There were two women who transformed the handbag into an icon of elegance and refinement. Besides using a bag attached to their belts to keep coins in, they even used to receive luxury handbags as presents from their lovers, ones with quite modern shapes, decorated with precious stones, gold, silver and jewels to enrich their style.
Unfortunately there are no pictures documenting this important episode in the handbag’s history, because, at that time, the handbag wasn’t considered a lady’s accessory at all.
The woman of that time was supposed to occupy her hands with elegant, feminine and graceful gestures and holding a handbag was certainly not included among these.
Then, for a long period, such luxury items were considered to be sinful extravagances and, for this reason they were disliked and avoided.
In the 17th century the bag faded from importance but it re-established its role in the 18th century thanks to the French queen Marie Antoinette and her court. In this period handbags started to be more capacious and their usage was similar to that of today. Light and soft, designed with a romantic and refined style, these items could even hold a small lapdog!
During the 20th century, when women started going out alone, travelling and working, the handbag became an indispensable accessory and a symbol of their emancipation . It was in this period, in fact, that the handbag took the name of “accessory”. This word (from the Latin meaning “to add” “ to increase”) for the first time assigned the bag a deeper meaning and importance that certainly went beyond the concept of superfluous and secondary.
This period also saw the birth of the first travel bags exclusively designed for women, with many compartments and decorated with the initials of the owner. In addition many walking bags started to be produced in a wide range of models and styles.
The outbreak of the 2nd World War, however, brought a sudden end to the carefree vitality of the previous decades. Handbags returned to their original qualities: manufacture in genuine leather, absolute simplicity and strictly functional as they had to be used for work.
In the immediate post-war years, women changed their image again: they were looking to establish their own importance within society and styles evolved radically too. They went from a rigid, bourgeois style to a restrained but dynamic one, wearing knee length dresses with a modern cut, small hats and handbags held on their forearm.
In was in these years that the handbag really became the symbol of emancipation, growing in success and appreciation over the years, thanks to those “historic women” who transformed this accessory into an emblem of luxury and refinement, such as Coco Chanel, Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy or those world famous designers such as Gucci or Dior.
Nowadays, every woman loves displaying her handbags with pride.
Walking around town, in fact, you can see women of any age, always with this faithful friend at their side.
Tastes obviously change according to the age of a person but one thing is certainly true: big or small, rigid or soft, casual or refined, the handbag continues to be the irreplaceable ally of every woman’s beauty!!!
