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Whether it's the alligator briefcase your dad carried in the 1960s or the kid leather Chanel clutch your mom took with her to meet him for a drink after work, vintage bags tell stories. They heard the love vows made, held the evidence of deals...
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Whether it's the alligator briefcase your dad carried in the 1960s or the kid leather Chanel clutch your mom took with her to meet him for a drink after work, vintage bags tell stories. They heard the love vows made, held the evidence of deals broken before the ink was dry, and even got some of us through world wars. Best of all, these bags were often exceptionally well made, which means you can continue to tote these story tellers today. Modern handbags actually derived from two sources. The first was the reticule, which women in the late 1700s filled with personal items such as makeup, letters, or a hand fan. This embroidered velvet or damask pouch dangled from a cord, which could be drawn tight at the top to secure the bag’s contents inside. It was, essentially, the pocket that women’s clothing of that era lacked. The second source was a piece of luggage that was actually known in the mid-19th century as a handbag. Not a fashion accessory yet, at first this bag was carried by men and women alike and featured a metal frame, heavy handles, interior compartments, and an opening at the top that snapped definitively and firmly shut. By the Edwardian era, handbags for travel were being produced by companies such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton, which got their start in leather goods such as horse harnesses and luggage such as trunks. As the size of the bag continued to shrink, increasing numbers of women traded in their flimsy reticules for this new more versatile and durable companion. At the same time, the reticule was having its own revival. Metal mesh bags produced by the American company Whiting and Davis were like modern, machined updates of reticules, albeit with a rigid clasp at their tops. The flat sides of these bags lent themselves to Art Deco designs as well as portraits and silhouettes, but Whiting and Davis also made bags such as the Delysia, which resembled an incense burner and opened at its center. In Germany, Burkhardt and Co. studded the...
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