Designer Bags: The Portable Status Symbol

Although the existence of the designer bags is not a new phenomenon

, its relative accessibility for the masses is a much more recent one. Prior to the 1980's, designers catered exclusively to their elite and wealthy clientele who could afford their leather goods. These labels sold luxury, quality and exclusivity.

For the ordinary middle class woman, a purse was simply a practical accessory that carried the personal belongings that she may need for a particular activity. Before the average suburban women became aware of the famous designers, a handbag wasn't of such importance compared to the rest of her outfit. The availability of choices in handbags a woman had were limited to black, brown or beige colors.

The ability of a popular celebrity to generate free advertising for a designer's product has been largely responsible for the democratization of luxury. Celebrities photographed carrying or wearing the latest designers' products turn into instant stylish products to own. Designers fully take advantage of the star power phenomenon by making less expensive versions of bags used by celebrities. Many designer classic pieces now have multiple incarnations that come in canvas or vinyl, which makes the prices more affordable to the average middle class working woman. In turn, the average woman buys not so much the physical handbag itself but more of what it symbolizes and implies-luxury, wealth and class.

The association between a celebrity and a purse can be traced back to a 1956 photo of Princess Grace carrying a particular handbag by a French design house. Although the said French design house has been making that same purse the princess was carrying; it was that photograph that elevated that handbag as the most coveted accessory. Today, that same purse remains an iconic piece that's still strongly associated with the princess' beauty. A few decades later, the late Princess Diana repeated history by making another handbag by another French designer an iconic piece after she was photographed carrying that particular purse.

As women continue to covet and pay for the high prices these designer bags fetch, the accessories industry has been transformed that many design houses devote a line exclusively to handbags. The wish for women to own the newest bag has resulted to it being the biggest moneymaker for design houses. Designers introduced a series of purses in various incarnations that by using a variety of materials from leather, suede to canvas that was produced in limited editions; thus further perpetuating the desire of most women.

Each label is known for its signature handbag. One Italian design house in Rome is known for its colorful purses, another one in Milan will always be associated with its nylon backpack, a particular American designer for her simple utilitarian nylon tote bags, while two French design houses will always be linked with two famous princesses who were best known for their style.

Designer bags has become the way for many women to announce her status to the world. It's a way for her to project what she is or what she aspires to be. A designer handbag has a way of making a woman feel good about herself that a designer garment can sometimes fail to do. Garments from the same designer can make a feel woman inadequate if can't fit into those slinky garments. A purse from the same designer, on the other hand, goes with any body type.

by: Agata Hart

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