The Development of the Handbag
Sunday, August 9th, 2009Many women utilize some type of handbag every day of their lives, but where did they originate?
Handbags - In The Beginning
Although today handbags are frequently a fashion statement and chosen for style, originally they were purely designed for convenience. Early handbags were basically a pouch. A small circular piece of fabric had a leather strap sewn right around the circumference. When the drawstring was pulled tight, a pouch was created.
It’s also interesting to realize that these early variations of the handbag were generally used by men. They used them to transport small valuables and coins, and these items were kept safe by attaching the bag to the man’s belt. Mostly they were tied near the sword, so that he could protect his valuables easily.
The Development of the Handbag
By around the 16th century, bags had increased in size. At this point they were usually big bags worn diagonally across the body. They were popular with both men and women, and particularly with travelers who wanted to keep their valuables safe.
As the 17th century progressed, the bags evolved from simple items of plain materials to something a little more fashionable. A bigger variety of materials were used, and they became a little smaller again. Various, more intricate shapes were utilized. It also became popular to embroider the bags, decorating them with intricately woven pieces of art.
In the 18th century women stopped carrying a bag around the body, and instead began to carry them in their hand or slung over their wrist. They became known as reticules, and the era of a bag as a fashion statement had begun. Reticules were carried because of the fashionable appearance they gave the owner, rather than just because they were useful. Women with money would have a reticule to match every outfit, or at least a range of designs, each one for a specific outing. Fashion magazines began suggesting the type of handbag that was “right for a specific event or location. Although they were often small, reticules were still used to carry a fan, rouge, face powder, scent bottle and smelling salts.
Today
By the 1900’s the term “handbag” had been commonplace, although to begin with it referred mostly to the traveling bags favored by men. As time passed, though, the term came to include bigger bags that were used by women. Fashions developed during the century, from the fashionable item of the 1920’s, through the war years when the materials for bags were hard to acquire and other materials were utilized, and on to the second half of the century when fashion designers began to take an interest in handbags and incorporated them in their collections.
If you want to learn more about handbags, check out this interesting site: http://www.www.infoabouthandbags.com