There is no doubt that women have an ongoing love affair with luxury handbags. Bag blogs or ezines and comments on bag forums indicate that some women are really obsessed with bags. There are women who actually own hundreds of luxury handbags that together are worth thousands of dollars. Social media and Dr. Google post images of wealthy individuals, celebrities, and royals seen wearing different handbags for each outfit. They come in various colors to match every shade and style of your outfits.
It is easy for the rich and famous, celebrities and royalty to have a large collection of luxury handbags. But the typical working woman or stay-at-home mother can hardly afford to pay such high prices to realize her dream. The reality is that most bag-loving women will run out of other things to fulfill their desire for a new bag.
What sacrifice would you have been willing to make to bid on the Hermes Birkin that recently sold at auction for over $200,000? Made of exquisite pink crocodile skin, it is embellished with 18K gold hardware and genuine diamonds. The basic Hermes will cost at least $8000, and you’ll probably have to be on a waiting list to get it!
Luxury handbags these days don’t sell for much less than $500. In fact, many of the most exclusive fashion houses sell their handbags for well over $1000. Personally, I would have to save a long time to be the proud owner of one of these amazing accessories.
While the quintessential 21st century object of desire, luxury handbags are not only for the wealthy, celebrities and royalty, but also for working women from all walks of life. Now, women of all ages are likely to spend more on a handbag than on a vacation, jewelry, or even a car. Everyone has this hidden desire to be noticed.
Clothing may actually take a close second to luxury handbags. For example, an ad made in 2007 showing Kate Moss lying naked on a beach with nothing but her Longchamp bag. Her message was clear: the clothes are redundant, the important thing is the bag.
So why do women have this love affair with luxury handbags? One reason is that they have become a personal fashion statement that illustrates a woman’s wealth and status. They also point out how fashion conscious a woman is and demonstrate her status and earning power. It’s also due to the growing popularity of large handbags, which for the past 100 years or so has followed women’s emerging social independence.
Previously the role of the woman was typically domestic and she carried her personal belongings in a bag tucked into the folds of her skirt or in a small bag that she carried discreetly. But as women ventured further outside the home, both for work and play, larger handbags became a useful way to carry their stuff with them. Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have started the trend of using a large handbag as a fashion accessory.
Another reason why luxury bags became more popular was the fact that train and sea travel became more accessible, so there was a greater demand for fashionable luggage such as suitcases, cases, as well as boxes for hats and shoes. This led to the development of the modern leather handbag.
It is therefore not surprising that many of today’s biggest fashion houses, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Hermes, originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And as women achieved financial independence, the handbag industry flourished out of all proportion to its modest beginnings.
However, the way we feel about having the right bag goes way beyond just being a way to carry our personal effects. Whether to reveal or hide, luxury handbags also embody a sentiment that is extremely private to its owner. This sensation is due to the fact that the handbag was first designed as a silk purse or pocket that is hidden, attached to our body. So, the pockets were conceived as underwear: a secret place, hidden under layers of fabric and only accessible through an intimate opening in the skirt.
These feelings of intimacy did not disappear when the first luxury handbags were brought out at the end of the 18th century. Called reticules, these purses were beautifully embroidered bags with damask, satin, or velvet handles. Women used them to carry cosmetics, a flirtatious fan, smelling salts, and carte de visite, all without compromising the tight fit of the empire-line dress that was popular at the time.
At first, the idea of a woman revealing her personal parts to the outside world was as embarrassing as if she had taken off her panties and waved them in the air. Therefore, reticles were often labeled “taunts” by those who were unwilling to accept the change.
Luxury handbags were, and still are, viewed as sexual objects due to the intimacy associated with them in the past. no emotion or feeling for others is still called that today.
Luxury bags continue to have their sex appeal because they are closely linked to all our intimate items. A large bag is our survival kit containing all our personal necessities which these days include a mobile phone, tampons, makeup, money and keys, hair straighteners, laptops, I phones, gum, condoms to change clothes. . Consequently, his intimate attractiveness remains a secret. Men are intrigued by what a woman carries in her bag, but they would never dare invade her privacy.
Bag loving women feel naked without their luxury bags. They believe that it is your bag, more than your clothes, that makes you stand out from the crowd. Even if your clothes are old and drab, a pretty bag makes you look and feel good.
Therefore, the handbag industry has experienced incredible growth in the past few decades. In the mid-2000s, handbag sales increased at twice the rate of clothing. Major fashion houses now make millions of dollars a year just from selling luxury handbags.
So what are the characteristics that distinguish luxury bags? The first thing is that they must have an exclusive design. They should be instantly identifiable as a leading brand, eg Fendi, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton or another fashion house. Fashion houses often have their signature designs and this also helps with branding.
Another important feature of desirable luxury handbags is glamor and allure. Naturally, this is discovered when a particular brand is linked to a celebrity, for example, the famous Hermes Kelly bag, which was originally produced in 1935, was not a bestseller until 1956. The bag rose to prominence when the newly launched married Princess Grace of Monaco was photographed for the cover of Time magazine protecting her pregnant belly with a classic Hermes bag. Consequently, the bag in question became known as the Kelly bag in her honor. Fashion writers promoted the association between the bag and the star: carrying a Kelly bag is still synonymous with class and old-fashioned money.
Similarly, Lady Dior became a sensation in 1994 when Princess Diana began wearing it around the city after splitting with Prince Charles. A seductive combination of a briefcase and a clutch, this clutch bag features distinctive gold-tone charms. It illustrated a caring woman who was, on the other hand, glamorous and sophisticated. These days, social media can endorse the status and demand for an individual bag just by being photographed on the arm of a style icon, celebrity or royalty like Princess Kate Middleton.
Without a doubt, shrewd marketing plays a big part in creating a must-have bag. While celebrities can get their hands on the latest luxury handbags, it’s much more of a problem for the working woman, regardless of how much money they want to spend. Many high-status bags are inaccessible and can have waiting lists of up to three years. The Hermes Birkin is in this category.
The innate competitiveness of women is cleverly managed by the best bag designers. For example. In 2005, Alexander McQueen peaked customer demand when he announced that the release of his new designer bag was limited to only 200 units. It then became the latest trophy in fashion and sold out before a waiting list was compiled. This bag was named the Novak after Kim Novak, the legendary blonde actress who starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece Vertigo. Prices started at £550 and went up to £6,000 for the deluxe crocodile version.
It seems that a price tag does not deter the bag-obsessed. In fact, fashion houses have found that a high price seems to increase the desire to own it. Obviously, there is an endless desire to spend money on designer handbags.
Luxury handbags will last a lifetime if properly cared for. Some iconic styles come and go, some hold their value and some increase in value. However, it is only a minority that has the right qualities to become an icon. To become an icon, a bag is not only superbly designed, but also outperforms time. The following brands have earned the right to call it an iconic bag: Hermes Kelly, Fendi Baguette, Marc Jacobs’s Stam, YSL Muse, and Mulberry Roxanne.
All these luxury bags share one thing in common; a clear and clean line; nothing fussy or overly designed, and a mix of functionality with indulgence. An iconic bag earns its reputation from the best traditions of pedigree, quality and craftsmanship. As it ages, an iconic bag will look as good as the day it was bought. And, for a true bag lover, it is worth all the money spent on them.