An opportunity, a bag

“You can wear the same set from morning to night, but to be perfectly dressed, you can’t keep the same bag.” In his Petit Dictionnaire de la mode (1954), Christian Dior crystalised the rules for women’s bags. And if the bag is a fashion accessory, it is certainly not a minor one.

It is also an essential point for the ‘maisons de luxe’ who are fully aware of the importance of accessories in general and handbags in particular. They can even be classed as a financial windfall for the luxury sector, far ahead of clothing. A far stretch from the handbag’s humble origin in antiquity when the purse was used as an accoutrement for slaves, to gather their masters' belongings in bags made of goat hair. Clearly, the purse was not quite there yet as a fashion accessory…

Today it is a golden goose. While leather goods accounted for only 3.3% of Yves Saint Laurent’s turnover in 2000, they now account for nearly 30% of their turnover. Similarly, at Hermès, bags and luggage also make up 30% of the brand’s overall turnover. Similarly, LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division attained a turnover of 30.9 billion euros in 2021 (+47% compared to 2020).

We can understand then why brands work to come up with the trendy, chic, must-have bag of the season, worn by celebrities in the press. Crucially, the history of bag fashion is often linked to personalities. When we speak of luxury handbags, the name of Princess Grace of Monaco immediately springs to mind. Designed in 1935 and christened the "belt bag" by Hermès it was really popularised in 1956, when Grace Kelly held it in front of her tummy in an attempt to disguise her pregnancy. The Hermès Kelly remains one of the most sought-after models.

Another bag linked to a personality is Gucci’s Jackie bag. In 1964, the widow of American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was seduced by this model to the point of ordering six and wearing them at every outing. It was so associated with his style that Gucci renamed it the «Jackie» in 1968. While Dior’s image is still associated with Lady Diana. When, in 1995, Bernadette Chirac contacted Dior to offer a bag to Lady Di, the French brand seized the opportunity. The Chouchou bag was designed by Gianfranco Ferré, then artistic director of Dior, and quickly renamed Princesse. Some bags are also reminiscent of television series, such as Fendi’s Baguette bag, which became a classic thanks to the series «Sex and the City». It seems that Christian Dior had it spot-on all along.