With its straight sides and boxy frame, the classic leather-clad hinged briefcase carried by "Mad Men" and James Bond wannabes alike was designed to protect papers such as lawyer's briefs, for which this piece of everyday luggage was named.
Briefcases with flat bottoms and flexible sides that fold over the opening at the case's top can be packed to overflowing, while still staying upright when set on the floor. The heftier pilot's briefcase features dividers and pockets inside, while the flexible, handleless portfolio is only as rigid as the stiffest thing it's carrying. These days, that's usually a laptop.
Interviews & Articles
Lucite in the Sky with Diamonds

Of all the fashion accessories of the 1950s—Ray-Ban sunglasses, Pucci scarves, Eisenberg cocktail rings—none were more dazzling th… [more]
Purse Perfection: Judith Leiber on Faberge, Rhinestones, and Her Favorite First Ladies

When I was a girl, my mother had a lot of wonderful handbags. My dad traveled often in Western Europe. Every time he came home he … [more]
Abigail Rutherford on the History of Vintage Handbags and the Rise of Women's Rights

Even as a young girl, I was interested in the historical aspect of handbags. I probably started collecting in high school when I b… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Bag Lady University

Bag Lady University is the place to learn about handbag makers from Adrian's, which made Bakelite bags, to Whiting … [read review or visit site]
If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes
Jockeying for Position: How Boxers and Briefs Got Into Men's Pants
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
In the Hot Seat: Is Your Antique Windsor a Fake?
Love at First Kite: How Pizza and Pente Led to One Oklahoman's High-Flying Obsession
Blood, Sweat, and Steel: My Afternoon with the Ace of Swords
'The Great Gatsby' Still Gets Flappers Wrong
Say Ahhh: An Oral Surgeon's Quest to Reimagine the Garage-Band Guitar
Forget TV Pickers, Meet the Real Mavericks of the Antiques World
Coveting The Craziest Cat-People Collectibles

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