While handbags and clutches are meant to be held in the hand or under the arm, shoulder bags, as their name suggests, allow a woman to keep her personal items close without occupying her hands. As such, shoulder bags are often the most visible accent to a woman's outfit.
Some of the designers who have made shoulder bags their calling cards include Coco Chanel, whose first shoulder bags in 1929 were made of the same jersey wool as her suits. More recently, in the 1960s, French designer Paco Rabanne updated the Edwardian mesh reticule with his chainmail shoulder bags. Across the English Chanel, Mary Quant fashioned pop-art purses that hung from long leather straps and shiny chains.
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]
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