Handbags date all the way back to the Egyptian period and can be seen in early hieroglyphics. These images show men with bags around their waists, under arm and around their necks to keep their hands free and their belongings close. So it is said that men were the first to use handbags.
Fast-forward to the 14th century, and we see both men and women were using ‘purses’. In their infancy, functionality was paramount. Therefore, handbags were plain and made of durable materials. As their popularity grew, gold and elaborate ornaments were added, making the handbag a measure of social prominence.
In the 15th century, the pouches with drawstrings became the status symbol within fashion circles. These pouches were elaborately painted and adorned with jewels. But this fad did not last long, as skirts became fuller and women preferred to carry their bags concealed, under their skirts of course. Handbags also lost their appeal to men as breeches were introduced into the market. These informal trousers had pockets sewn in them, relieving men from their dependence on handbags.
Authentic Designer Handbags - Great Offers
By the 18th century, dictated by the post-French Revolutions newfound wealth and freedom, women’s fashion became exquisitely fine and dainty, leaving no room for pockets. Here we see a resurrection of the handbag, now called the reticule. It was at this period where handbags became ‘fashion accessories’. They were still used to carry such things as calling cards, perfume, rouge, and things of the sort, but handbags became a part of the wearer’s ensemble.
Handbags all but disappeared in the mid 18th century as the constraints of religious conservancy affected the fullness, and length of women’s skirts. Again, pockets were added to these ballooning skirts and handbags were not seen again until the advent of the hobby skirt.
As dresses grew shorter and tighter, pockets were impossibility, and a handbag was a must. The greatest change for the handbag came in the early 1920’s. Where it was once standard to wear a handbag that was made of the exact fabric of your skirt, to blend in and conceal it from view, it now became fashionable for your handbag to be of a matching or contrasting color to that of your outfit. Women were displaying their handbags, not hiding them.
In the 1940’s handbags took a new shape. As the war inflicted its severe and rigid economy on the fashion industry, the materials in which handbags were made changed. Metal frames, zips, leather, and mirrors were in short supply so manufactures used plastic and wood. The 50's saw the rise of important designer houses including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes and the 60's saw the breakdown of old notions of the classical and the rise of youth culture.
Twentieth century technology has opened up a treasure of textures and materials from space age synthetics to hand-woven straws. There are rainproof bags for stormy day, sturdy totes for the beach, delicate fabric for evening, and squashy shoulder bags for casual wear. In short, a fascinating variety of handbags for every mood, every outfit and every occasion.
