subject: Handbags,The Birth [print this page] Handbags,The Birth Handbags,The Birth
I just automatically picked up my bags and walked out. Suddenly I realized something was missing and thought 'Oh my God! It's my child.'
saysmartha a bag lover.This is the kind of importance handbags receive these days..from a teenage girl to a old hag..its the only style accesory used by almost all..From the ancient beaded bags of African priests to the haute couture tote of the modern lady of leisure, handbags have historically been both the carriers of secrets and the signifiers of power, status, and beauty. As the keepers of the equipment of daily life, handbags have been strongly influenced by technological and societal changes, such as the development of money, jewelry, transportation, cosmetics, smoking, cell phones, and the role of women in society.
implementation of its paradoxical role as both signifier and concealer, the handbag gestures toward a countless of provoking psychological interpretations.Ancient, symbolic, and indispensable, the handbag has been a changeable object, expressing and carrying the needs and tastes of both its wearer and its time. Purses, pouches, or bags have been used since humans have needed to carry precious items. While "handbags" as an idiom did not exist until the mid-nineteenth century, ancient pouches made of leather or cloth were used mainly by men to hold valuables and coins .Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs show men wearing purses around the waist, and the Bible specifically identifies Judas Iscariot as a purse carrier. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, both men and women would attach pouches to the most important feature of medieval garb: the girdle. During the Elizabethan era, women's skirts expanded to enormous proportions. Consequently, small medieval girdle purses were easily lost in the large amounts of fabric. Rather than wear girdle pouches outside on their belt, women began to wear their pouches under their skirts, and men would wear pockets (called "bagges") made of leather inside their breeches However, with the onset of the railroad, bags were about to experience a revolution. The war saw the smooth contours of the 1930s fashion change to a more military look. Bags became larger, squarer, and more practical, reflecting a desire to appear self-sufficient. The post war economic boon of the 1950s catapulted handbags into cult status. Major designers such as Vuitton, Hermes, and Channel enjoyed a culture where accessorizing and color coordinating were held to an almost moral standard. Handbags are currently made in a bewildering array of styles and materials, such as waterproof canvas, space age synthetics, and faux reptile skins. Designers continue to play with the paradoxes inherent in the handbag with transparent materials that both expose and conceal the contents of the bag. And handbags, which for so long had been associated with the feminine are now becoming more popular with men. Both the modern man and woman can strap on or sling over a hands-free bag and go. Its variety and adaptability highlight the handbag's extraordinary potency and staying power.
